Yager Trial Can Begin; Jury Seated

Seven men and five women have been selected to weigh evidence against a Rathdrum man charged with shooting a state police officer to death.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys settled on a jury Thursday evening after a third full day of questioning potential jurors. They range in age from a 29-year-old woman to an 80-year-old man.

Four alternates - three women and one man - also were chosen. The youngest of the alternates is a 28-year-old woman and the oldest is a 59-year-old man.

On Monday, all 16 jurors will begin hearing evidence prosecutors have gathered against Scott D. Yager. Testimony before 1st District Court Judge James Judd is expected to last two weeks.

Yager, 35, is charged with the premeditated, first-degree murder of Idaho State Police trooper Linda Huff and committing a felony with a deadly weapon. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Seventy-six Kootenai County residents answered questions about their knowledge of the charges against Yager, their beliefs about the death penalty, and if they know Yager, his family or any officers involved in the case before attorneys established a pool of 44 jury candidates. Jurors were chosen from that pool.

The county’s jury commissioner had identified about 200 people spread over three panels of potential jurors because of extensive publicity about the case. More than half of the juror candidates were not needed.

This sidebar appeared with the story: TRIAL The premeditated, first-degree murder trial in the shooting death of Trooper Linda Huff will begin Monday with testimony expected to last two weeks.