Jury selection begins in trial of man accused of killing CHP officer
(Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
The process of selecting a jury has started in the trial of a Placer County resident who stands accused of vehicular manslaughter in the death of a California Highway Patrol officer and a Vallejo resident.
Sean M. Walker, 39, was arrested in August 2018 several days after a pick-up truck he was driving collided with a stopped CHP vehicle along the west-bound lanes of Interstate 80 near Manuel Campos Parkway.
Officer Kirk Griess, 46, of Vacaville and 49-year-old Jaime B. Manuel of Vallejo were killed in the crash.
Police accused Walker of using his phone at the time of the crash, and said the pick-up truck was driving at a high rate of speed before it made impact. Walker’s defense team said the man was using his phone to search for symptoms associated with a stroke and may have been suffering from a medical episode immediately prior to the crash.
Walker later underwent heart surgery and had a dual-valve heart monitor installed, his defense team said.
Last August, a Solano County judge ruled there was enough evidence for Walker to stand trial on two counts of vehicular manslaughter. He entered a plea of not guilty and was released on $90,000 bond.
Television news footage captured on Tuesday showed Walker, his attorney and several family members walking into the Solano County Superior Courthouse in Vallejo where the jury selection process is currently under way.
Walker could face a state prison sentence if he is convicted. As of Tuesday, he is presumed innocent.
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