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EDINBURG — Jury impanelment for the Edinburg man accused of shooting a state trooper in 2019 who later died has begun.
Victor Godinez, 28, is accused of shooting Texas Department of Public Safety trooper Moises Sanchez, 49, in April 2019.
Sanchez died months later in August following a surgery conducted in Houston.
The Hidalgo County Courthouse lobby was packed with potential jurors Thursday morning. The line of people wrapped along the walls of the lobby and the adjacent hallway leading to the auxiliary courts outside.
State District Judge Letty Lopez had previously stated that the court would need to go through 800 potential jurors before selecting them.
The jury impanelment will run through Thursday and Friday.
According to a court staffer, a jury impanelment is a “pre-selection” of sorts. The court admonishes those who arrive and the court begins to filter out who can and cannot be selected such as people who only speak Spanish or people with conflicting issues that can’t be resolved.
The staffer added that depending on how the impanelment goes Thursday and Friday will determine the date for jury selection.
If the court is unable to finish the impanelment in those two days, it could potentially delay the trial.
If a jury is selected, and convicts Godinez, prosecutors will be seeking the death penalty.
