Jury selection for murder trail begins

Jury selection began Monday in Sixth District Carlton County Court for the first-degree murder trial of a Bayfield County man accused of shooting and killing his uncle.

James Francis Montano, 33, of Bayfield County was arrested in April 2018 in Carlton County for shooting his uncle, 57-year-old Andrew James Gokee, and injuring Gokee’s son, 38-year-old Hudson Gauthier, Montano’s cousin. The Bayfield man faces charges of first-degree premeditated murder, attempted premeditated first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and assault in the second degree.

Carlton County Attorney Lauri Ketola told the Pine Knot News Wednesday that jury selection will probably continue all week with testimony to begin Monday,

Jan. 13.

“Jury selection is always slow, but it’s a very important practice,” Ketola said.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Minnesota Attorney General Matthew Frank, Ketola and Assistant County Attorney Jeffrey Boucher. Public defenders Joanna Wiegert and Nicole Bettendorf-Hopps are representing Montano.

For background on the case, read this Pine Knot News story:

https://www.pineknotnews.com/story/2019/03/15/news/grand-jury-indicts-man-for-first-degree-murder/746.html