Jury selection continues this week ahead of 2nd Sapry murder trial

LACONIA — Jury selection ahead of the second trial of Hassan Sapry, the man accused in the 2019 killing of Wilfred Guzman Sr., began in Belknap County Superior Court on Monday morning.

Defense attorneys argue Sapry, 27, is not guilty by reason of insanity. His first court proceedings ended in a mistrial in 2022. Sapry is charged with first- and second-degree murder, among other crimes. 

“He must convince you that he was insane at the time of the alleged acts,” and that those acts were a result of a mental disease, Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Leonard told members of the jury pool on Monday afternoon.

Indictments are allegations, not tantamount to guilt. All defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Attorneys Mark Sisti and Amy Ashworth are defending Sapry in court — the trial is scheduled to begin on the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 19. It’s anticipated the trial will last two to three weeks. 

Representing the Attorney General’s Office are Jeffery Strelzin and Alexander Kellermann.

Jury selection on Monday started at 9 a.m., with a break between sessions mid-day. Roughly half of the jury pool gathered in Courtroom 1 in the morning and were read a list of questions by Leonard. Questions asked of the jury pool pertained to aspects of the trial court system and procedure, and any issues a potential juror may have in remaining fair and impartial. 

Jurors who had no issues with any of the statements read by Leonard were relieved for the day, given a date and time to return for voir dire, which was scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Other jurors remained in the courtroom and, one by one, approached the bench to discuss their questions and concerns with Leonard and all four attorneys. 

Some potential jurors were excused with a "thank you for your service," while others were instructed to return to further participate in the jury selection process.

The jury will not be sequestered during trial.

Court officers played static noise over the public address system in the courtroom while individuals from the jury pool were in conference with the judge and attorneys. 

It’s quite the ordeal — starting at around 8:30 a.m. Monday, there were no parking spaces vacant at either Belknap County Superior Court or Laconia District Court next door. In the morning, deputies with the Belknap County Sheriff’s Office, tasked with courthouse security, instructed those among the jury pool who’d parked across the street at Walgreens to move their vehicles to avoid a tow.

Just before 10 a.m., Sisti and Ashworth walked in stride with Sapry as he entered the courtroom, unshackled but fixed with a mobility-limitation device on one leg.

“Your role as potential jurors is of critical importance,” Leonard told the jury pool before the afternoon session began.

Leonard instructed jurors to remember a case must be decided based on the evidence presented.

The trial will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. until its conclusion. 

“You are not to read, listen, watch or discuss anything about the case,” Leonard told potential jurors.

Voir dire begins Tuesday and will continue for the rest of the week. During voir dire, individual jurors will discuss their questions, concerns and points of view with Leonard and the attorneys in more depth than during the initial screening on Monday.

Just after 2 p.m., after Leonard finished reading the list of questions, 26 members of the jury pool were excused and given dates and times to return.

Sapry appeared calm, hands folded in his lap, as jury selection progressed, rarely training his gaze upon members of the jury pool approaching the bench. 

For the remainder of the afternoon, the jury pool — roughly 70 individuals — approached the bench, one at a time, until Leonard adjourned the proceedings, around 3:40 p.m. 

Court officers declined to share the number of Belknap County residents summoned for jury duty in this case, nor the number excused or required to return following Monday’s proceedings.