Othal Wallace trial: Jury selected, opening statements start Monday

Jury selected for Othal Wallace case

Othal Wallace, the man accused of killing a Daytona Beach Police Officer, will begin his trial on Monday now that a jury has now been selected.

Twelve jurors and three alternates were selected and sworn in on Friday in the Othal Wallace criminal trial. Opening statements from the prosecution and the defense are expected to begin on Monday.

Othal Wallace is accused of shooting and killing Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor, 26, on June 23, 2021. Wallace has been charged with first-degree murder. State attorneys have said they intend to seek the death penalty..

Police said Officer Raynor was responding to a call about suspicious activity near an apartment complex on Kingston Street in Daytona Beach. At some point, Wallace allegedly shot Officer Raynor in the head, which sparked a nationwide manhunt for Wallace.

He was later found in a tree house outside of Atlanta, Georgia, which is more than six hours away Daytona Beach.

Officer Raynor was hospitalized for two months and later died.

The trial was recently moved from Volusia County to Clay County after Wallace's lawyers successfully argued that he would not be able to get a fair trial in Volusia County following the publicity surrounding the case.