Lynn murder trial to begin Monday

SALEM – Jury selection has been completed in the trial of Jose Cabrera, who is charged with the fatal shooting of a rival gang member on Olive Street in Lynn in 2008.Four more jurors were added Thursday to make up the 16-person jury panel to hear the expected lengthy trial in Salem Superior Court.The jury comprised of six women and 10 men was chosen during a three-day span. Only 12 of those jurors will actually deliberate the case and decide the fate of Cabrera.Assistant District Attorney Kristen R. Buxton has listed 51 potential witnesses, who include numerous civilians, mostly residents of Lynn, as well as Lynn police officers, state troopers and crime lab experts. Two state witnesses, Michael Rodriguez and Amaury Severino, have invoked their Fifth Amendment privilege not to testify in the trial. Another state witness is expected to invoke his rights tomorrow.Defense lawyer Jeffrey T. Karp has 15 potential witnesses on his list who include clergy, Lynn police officers and civilian witnesses. Cabrera is not listed to testify, but that does not mean he will not. He has that option up to the last minute to decide until his attorney states they have concluded their defense.Opening statements are scheduled to be heard on Monday morning. David A. Lowy is presiding over the trial.Cabrera, who was 18 when the shooting occurred and last lived at 76 Park St., Lynn, is on trial for the shooting death of Tony Pich, 21, who was shot and killed with a bullet from a .9mm revolver on his front porch at 1-3 Olive St. shortly before 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2008.Authorities say Pich, a member of the Crips gang, fired gunshots back at Cabrera’s car, identified by witnesses as a silver vehicle. Cabrera reportedly is a member of the rival gang Deuce Boyz.Cabrera was indicted by an Essex County grand jury in January of 2009 on a charge of murder in the first-degree. He has pleaded innocent to the charge. If convicted he faces a life sentence in state prison with no parole. Cabrera has been held in custody on no bail at the Middleton Jail awaiting trial.