Jury seated in trial of man accused of trying to kill two Baltimore County officers
BALTIMORE -- The jury was selected in Baltimore County for David Linthicum, 25, who is facing attempted murder charges for allegedly shooting two police officers in early 2023.
Twelve jurors and four alternates were selected shortly before 6 p.m. on Monday.
Linthicum's defense attorneys allege prosecutors are too close to police which prevents him from getting a fair trial.
Journalists were blocked from observing some of the individual jury questioning. A member of the court staff said that was because of limited space in a basement room where it was being conducted.
The trial
This trial is expected to last 10 days. Names of potential witnesses include the Baltimore County executive and police chief.
Linthicum wore a suit and sat next to his defense attorneys during the initial phase of jury selection.
The prosecution and defense have had some bitter disputes in recent months.
Shootings and a manhunt
For two days in February 2023, the manhunt for David Linthicum had Cockeysville on edge.
The ordeal began when Linthicum's father called the police saying his son was armed and having a mental health crisis.
Police said Linthicum shot a responding officer and fled the scene on Powers Avenue.
He is then accused of shooting another officer nearby on Warren Road and carjacking his vehicle, before being captured in Fallston in Harford County.
The next day, neighbor Alan Franti showed WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren the spot where Linthicum was hiding in the woods near a rock behind his home.
"When they made their move on him, they all put their lights on and all came out. It was fascinating," Franti said. "It was very tense when you had police officers knocking on your doors in the middle of the night not knowing what was happening—all the flash bombs going off. It was like a war zone back here."
Lawyers battle in court
Lawyers have been battling for months in the high-profile case, with Linthicum's public defenders saying the initial police response was reckless. They demanded the officers' complete internal affairs files.
They alleged the state's attorney's office donated to one of the injured officers and claimed the prosecution is too close to police.
Because of that, they believe Linthicum cannot get a fair trial.
"When you have prosecutors who step into that realm and become so aligned with victims that they become victim advocates, as opposed to prosecutors, then that's a problem. And hopefully, they will realize that and step aside voluntarily so this person can get a fair trial," said Michael Heiskell, the President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
The state's attorney's office previously told WJZ they would respond to the allegations in the courtroom and court motions.
The judge has often sided with prosecutors, rejecting motions they recuse themselves and pushing the trial to move forward now, even as defense attorneys say they need more time.
Linthicum is facing life behind bars and is charged with four counts of attempted murder and multiple assault and firearms offenses.
Jury pool
The jury was selected from a pool of 150 potential jurors.
They were asked questions Monday including whether they have strong feelings about officers injured in the line of duty, mental health issues and guns.
One of the injured officers spent time on life support after being shot in the face, arms and back.
