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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; And then there were 12.</p><p>After an extensive line of questioning Monday in Luzerne County Court, a pool of 100 jurors was narrowed down to a dozen people &#8212; five men and seven women &#8212; who will decide the fate of alleged killer Jessica Lynn Alinsky.</p><p>Alinsky, 32, of Shenandoah, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/508176/jessica-alinsky-to-stand-trial-this-week-in-boyfriends-murder" target="_blank">faces one count each of criminal homicide and tampering with evidence</a> after, prosecutors claim, she shot her boyfriend, Matthew Gailie, and then altered the crime scene to make the death look like the 34-year-old corrections officer turned the gun on himself.</p><p>Gailie was found dead Sept. 2, 2011 &#8212; a single gunshot to the face &#8212; on the living room floor of the Hazle Township home the two shared.</p><p>The jury, which also consists of four alternates, will decide this week whether Alinsky pulled the trigger or Gailie took his own life following an argument, as Alinsky had claimed to police in one of at least four variations of the incident she told to investigators at the scene.</p><p>Two of those investigators &#8212; state troopers Shawn M. Williams and James J. Surmick &#8212; will be among 25 potential witnesses called by the Commonwealth, Assistant District Attorney Daniel Zola said.</p><p>Police said Alinsky first told them she had been upstairs when Gailie shot himself following a dispute. Next, she told police she was downstairs in a bathroom when she heard a &#8220;pop.&#8221; She then came out of the bathroom and saw Gailie on the floor, police said.</p><p>In a third account of the incident, Alinsky allegedly told police she was in the living room when she saw Gailie shoot himself. Finally, police said, she told them the two were in the living room together, and she tried to wrestle the gun away from Gailie before it went off.</p><p>Later, police claim Alinsky made an ominous admission.</p><p>&#8220;Did I kill him? My finger was on the trigger,&#8221; Alinsky allegedly said.</p><p>Media reports describing the alleged details of the case prompted defense attorney Demetrius Fannick to request the trial be moved to another venue.</p><p>Fannick argued jurors could potentially be influenced by articles published Monday in the Times Leader, The Citizens&#8217; Voice and the Hazleton Standard-Speaker, which detailed Alinsky&#8217;s legal history, including pleading guilty in 2014 to third-degree murder and then withdrawing her plea.</p><p>&#8220;The witness stand is the only place you&#8217;re supposed to get information from,&#8221; Fannick later said during jury selection. &#8220;But some of you have answered you already got it from the newspaper.&#8221;</p><p>Luzerne County Judge Tina Polachek Gartley rejected the request and noted that several high-profile homicide cases had proceeded in county court in the past without requiring a change of venue. Furthermore, the pool of jurors was raised to 100 in order to avoid any similar issues, the judge said.</p><p>But as the newly seated jury was dismissed Monday afternoon, Gartley stressed that they should avoid media regarding the trial, which is expected to last through the week.</p><p>If convicted, Alinsky faces up to life in prison.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL020216alinsky-6.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jessica Alinsky, 32, of Shenandoah, is accused of shooting her boyfriend, Matthew Gailie, in 2011. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL020216alinsky-6.jpg</photo0><caption0>Jessica Alinsky, 32, of Shenandoah, is accused of shooting her boyfriend, Matthew Gailie, in 2011. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Judge denies change of venue</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Jury seated in trial of alleged killer Jessica Alinsky