Jury selected for Derek Saretzky triple-murder trial in Lethbridge

A jury of seven men and seven women has been selected for the trial of Derek Saretzky, accused of killing a toddler and her father and, separately, a 69-year-old womanin the Crowsnest Pass in southwestern Alberta.

TerryBlanchette, 27, hisdaughterHaileyDunbar-Blanchette, 2,andHanneMeketech, 69, were killed in September 2015 in the CrownestPass. It's amunicipality of roughly5,500 people about230 kilometres south of Calgary.

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The case attracted national attentionafterBlanchettewas discovered dead in his home in theCrowsnestcommunity ofBlairmoreon Sept. 14, 2015.

AnAmber Alert was issued forHailey, but the little girl's remains were discovered in a rural area the next day.

Saretzky, now 24,was charged shortly thereafter.

Seven months later, Saretzky was also charged in the death of Meketech, who was found dead in her home in the community of Coleman on Sept. 9, 2015.

Saretzkyis expected to go on trial on June 7 in Lethbridge, charged with three counts of first-degree murderas well as causing indignity to a body.

The jury of 14 was picked in about an hour from more than 100 people summoned for the trial. Two male alternates have alsobeen selected, but they will be dismissed at the beginning of the trial provided no conflicts arise among the 14 jurors.

Crown estimates trial will take about 4 weeks

Although there are14 jurors, only 12 are able to deliberate at the trial'sculmination. The two additional bodiesserve as extras in case unforeseen circumstances arise for any jurors over the course of the trial.

The Crown, represented by Photini Papadatou, estimates the trial willtake about four weeks, but Court of Queen's Bench Justice WIlliam Tillemanmade clear that many variables could cause the trial to go longer.

Two voir dire hearings to determine the admissibility of evidence in the trial have been ongoing since May 8 and areexpected to wrap up on June 6. Information from the voir dire hearings is under a publication ban.

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