Jury selection underway for woman accused of killing 3 boys in house fire

Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published: Updated:
Marian Williams
Credit: WINK News

Jury selection is underway Monday for the trial of a woman who is accused of starting a house fire that killed three young boys in DeSoto County.

The trial of Marian Williams, 49, could begin next week if jury selection is complete by Thursday.

Williams is accused of burning down the Arcadia home of the three little boys while they were inside in 2017. Police say Williams broke into her ex-boyfriend’s home and began choking him while he was asleep. The next day, she was accused of setting the fire that killed his three grandchildren.

Marcus, Kiani and Kemaren Clark are the names of the three young boys. The State of Florida is seeking the death penalty in this case. Before the trial, prospective jurors were asked, “Do you believe those convicted of murdering children should always be sentenced to death?”

Judge is Don T Hall said went over qualifications to be on the jury and asked if anyone had any conflicts. A couple of people came forward.

Judge Hall expects jury selection to take some time and said, “this is not a process we will rush.”

They need to find 12 jurors and 6 alternates and the trial is expected to last possibly 3 weeks.

The judge says it is rare for a trial to take that long but he understands that the possible length could present hardships to some folks and added that he will listen to any of those possible hardships.

Jury selection is expected to take several days.

If a jury is selected by Thursday the trial will start on Monday.

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