It took a week and a half to pick a jury for the case against an Anchorage man that was covered by media groups across the state. Those 16 jurors were told by Judge Philip Volland to resist the urge to prejudge.
The defendant in the case, 26-year-old Jerry Active, entered the courtroom Thursday morning wearing a suit, handcuffs and a straight face. Active is facing 12 charges related to the May 2013 deaths of Touch Chea and Sorn Sreap, as well as the sexual assault of the couple’s granddaughter and another unnamed elderly woman living with them. The charges include two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and five counts of sexual assault.
“The purpose of opening statements is for me and the state to give you a preview of the facts that we think are going to come out in the course of this trial,” said Adam Alexander, the state’s prosecutor in the case.
Over the next four to six weeks, the jury will hear from numerous witnesses and examine pieces of evidence the defense and prosecution say paint two very different pictures of the crimes and the man accused of perpetrating them.
“It’s not about how many charges there is, how serious they are,” explained Active’s defense attorney Chong Yim to the jury. “The question is, is there evidence? And the evidence is that Mr. Active is not guilty of any of these crimes.”
Prosecutors say the victims’ family members caught Active in the apartment at the time of the alleged attacks. They say Active was wearing nothing but a pair of bloody socks, alleged proof of Active’s part in the crimes.
Yim says his client is innocent and told jurors evidence presented to them over the next several weeks will prove that.
“This case is not about Mr. Active being caught in that apartment,” Yim told the jury. “The question is was he that person that was actually in that apartment committing these heinous crimes?”
The prosecution says yes, the defense no. It will be up to the jury to make the final decision.
After opening statements concluded, court was adjourned for the day. The trial is set to resume on Monday, and prosecutors say the parents of the youngest victim in the case will be the first to take the stand.