Rural venue creates hurdles for high-profile Rebekah Baptist trial

Upcoming Rebekah Baptiste trial sparks juror concerns

A father and his girlfriend are set to go to trial for the murder of his 10-year-old daughter, Rebekah Baptiste. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean dives into the challenges that come with a high-profile trial in a rural area.

APACHE COUNTY, Ariz. - The murder trial for a father and his girlfriend accused of killing his daughter, Rebekah Baptiste, 10, is set to begin next summer.

A trial date is scheduled for June 2 in Apache County, but legal experts say seating an impartial jury for the high-profile homicide case, which has made headlines since July, will be difficult in the rural venue.

Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods

What they're saying:

The case against Richard Baptiste and Anicia Woods, the couple accused of killing Rebekah, faces major hurdles in jury selection related to both public knowledge and logistical challenges.

"Trying a jury trial in a complex matter is always difficult, but it's particularly difficult in a rural venue like Apache County," said criminal defense lawyer Jason Lamm.

Lamm noted the extreme time commitment required of local jurors, saying, "We have some jurors that travel 3 or 4 hours to get here to court."

Civil rights attorney Benjamin Taylor believes that long travel time will deter unbiased residents from serving.

"They're going to want to try to get off the jury, and it's going to be hard to select 12 people who haven't heard about this case and who actually want to sit on this jury if they have to travel hours just to be there every single day," Taylor said.

Body language expert analyzes body cam footage in Rebekah Baptiste case

The Baptiste family's history with Arizona DCS dates to 2015, with 12 reports of concern over a decade. FOX 10's Kenzie Beach questioned why the children were not removed from the home, a concern echoed by a body language expert.

Dig deeper:

Lamm also pointed to the financial complications of a rural trial.

"The jurors are going to have to be reimbursed for their mileage. That's a considerable cost. On the other hand, maybe it's more economical to have jurors stay the night in a hotel so they are sequestered in the way we think of from television and movies," Lamm said.

These unique factors could lead to a request for a change of venue, moving the case to another county.

"Quite candidly, it's rare that those motions are granted, but in a case like this that's so high profile and has so much notoriety, particularly in a smaller county, the judge is going to have to make a determination if this is one of those rare instances where the trial needs to take place in another county," Lamm said.

Taylor stressed the importance of civic duty.

"I would ask that everybody get the chance to sit on a jury. You have to do it. I mean even though it will be an inconvenience, you can always ask the court for financial resources to help you if you can't afford to be there for the whole week or the whole month," he said.

While the Apache County judge plans to use juror questionnaires—a tool suggested by both attorneys to narrow the potential pool—he admitted that the county has historically struggled to get those forms returned before trial.