JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Five years after his arrest for a 1994 cold case murder, a jury has officially been selected in the trial of former youth pastor Ronnie Hyde.
Of the 12 jurors, there are four women and eight men. There is only one Black person, a man, with a Black woman serving as a potential backup juror. Ages of the jurors range from 30 to 60.
Opening statements are expected to begin Tuesday.
Hyde is charged with killing and dismembering 16-year-old Fred Laster of Yulee. He’s also charged with possessing hundreds of items of child pornography, but those allegations will not be part of his murder trial, nor will the dozens of references to alleged child sexual abuse and exploitation disclosed early in the case.
The issue before the jury will specifically focus on the allegations of murder. Prosecutors said they will pursue the child sexual exploitation charges at a later time after Hyde's attorney, Ann Finnell, successfully argued the child porn allegations have no connection to the murder.
Fred was last seen by his siblings in Nassau County in 1994. They say he was last with Hyde, who was Fred's foster father, according to court records, in addition to being a counselor to teenage sex offenders.
The teen’s torso was discovered in a dumpster in Lake City but wasn’t identified until 2015.
Prosecutors initially charged Hyde with premeditated murder, but are now pursuing conviction on felony murder, which is a murder that occurs in the commission of another felony. Prosecutors allege that underlying felony is aggravated child abuse.
Jury selection is expected to take less than a day, with opening statements expected to begin Monday afternoon. The trial is expected to last a week.