© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 16, 2001
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Prosecutors and defense attorneys have a long trial ahead of them. There's a witness list with more than 100 names, opening statements and closing arguments to prepare, and then, if there's a guilty verdict, a penalty phase to determine whether the defendant should be executed.
But as the lawyers began picking a jury on Monday, the looming question was:
Could they find 12 Pasco residents who could give Oscar Ray Bolin the presumption of innocence?
It seemed a tall order. After all, the 39-year-old Bolin is accused of killing three Tampa Bay women in 1986, crimes that remain among the area's most notorious. Six times Bolin has stood trial -- twice for each crime. Six times he has been convicted and sentenced to death. And six times the Florida Supreme Court has ordered new trials.
Now, it seems, Bolin is a forgotten man in the minds of many.
Despite the hundreds of sensational news stories that have appeared over the past 15 years, only a handful of the 50 prospective jurors questioned Monday had ever heard of Bolin. "I remember the name," one woman said.
"The name sounds very familiar," said another. Neither could say why the name stuck in their memory.
Bolin is on trial in a New Port Richey courtroom in the December 1986 slaying of Teri Lynn Matthews, a 26-year-old Land O'Lakes bank clerk. He is awaiting retrials in Hillsborough County for the slayings of Stephanie Collins, 17, and Natalie Holley, 25.
Given Bolin's well-publicized history, lawyers and Circuit Judge Craig C. Villanti proceeded with caution Monday as they questioned prospective jurors. One woman said something about past trials, but before she could elaborate, there was an objection from defense attorneys. Villanti immediately cleared the courtroom and ordered a fresh panel.
By day's end, attorneys had made little progress. Jury selection resumes this morning.
Bolin was partly responsible for the slowness. "I'm having a problem with counsel," Bolin told Villanti.
Bolin threatened to fire his court-appointed attorneys, John Swisher and Sam Williams, over their refusal to let his wife, Rosalie Bolin, sit in the courtroom during the trial.
During a recess, Bolin argued openly with his attorneys, constantly running a hand through his thick, gray hair.
When the trial resumed nearly an hour later, Rosalie Bolin, who has worked on her husband's case as a private investigator, was still sitting outside the courtroom.
| Murder defendant Oscar Ray Bolin, left, listens during the jury selection process Monday with his attorneys, John Swisher, center, and Sam Williams at the opening day of his trial. |
