Jury Selected in racing death trial/Stasko

Jury selected in racing death trial
By Gary L Wright
gwright@charlotteobserver.com
By Gary L Wright The Charlotte Observer
Posted: Tuesday, Dec. 06, 2011
Modified: Tuesday, Dec. 06, 2011 A jury of seven men and five women has been selected in the trial of Tyler Stasko, who is accused of killing a mother and her 2-year-old daughter and a teen-ager in a high-speed wreck in April 2009.

Late Tuesday morning, lawyers for the prosecution and the defense were selecting jury alternates.

Prosecution and defense attorneys are expected to give their opening statements to the jury later today. Prosecutors will then begin presenting their evidence.

Stasko, 23, is charged with three counts of second-degree murder.

Stasko and Carlene Atkinson, 47, are accused of racing at speeds of up to 100 mph when Stasko’s Mitsubishi Eclipse smashed into a Mercedes that was entering N.C. 49 from the RiverPointe neighborhood near Lake Wylie.

Killed in the Mercedes were 45-year-old Winthrop University professor Cynthia Furr and her daughter, McAllister. A passenger in Stasko’s car, 13-year-old Hunter Holt, also died.

Atkinson’s black Chevrolet Camaro wasn’t involved in the wreck, but she, too, is charged with three counts of second-degree murder. She will be tried separately from Stasko.

Atkinson’s bail was originally set at $3 million. She’s been convicted of speeding 15 times, according to prosecutors. Her bail was later reduced to $900,000. Stasko’s bond was set at $45,000.

Both Atkinson of Lake Wylie and Stasko of Matthews are out of jail, but they’ve been prohibited from driving while awaiting trial.

Prosecutors did not offer plea deals to Stasko and Atkinson. Each of the second-degree murder charges is punishable by prison sentences ranging from about eight years to more than 30 years.

During a bail hearing in May 2009, then Mecklenburg Assistant District Attorney Marsha Goodenow said witnesses estimated the speeds of Atkinson’s and Stasko’s cars at between 70 mph and 100 mph. Stasko’s car was traveling at 83 mph when it struck the Mercedes, the prosecutor said.