Jury selection complete for Lynn gang rape trial

SALEM – Lawyers in the trial of three Salem men accused of raping a teenager in Lynn wrapped up jury selection Wednesday afternoon, selecting nine men and seven women after nearly three full days in court and over 200 potential jurors.Judge John T. Lu said he would prefer to have 16 jurors, leaving room for four alternates, after an incident Tuesday in which a member of the jury pool allegedly lied to the court about knowing the defendants.Assistant District Attorney Greg Friedholm told the judge it would “make him nervous” to have only two alternate jurors in the trial.Rafael Brito, 22, Luis Arias, 22, and Justin Louf, 21, all of Salem, are on trial for aggravated rape after an alleged gang-rape of a 17-year-old Salem girl on Feb. 15, 2008 when they were supposed to be giving her a ride home from a friend?s house following a Lynn English basketball game, according to an arrest report.The four attorneys agreed on the 16th juror around 3 p.m., and Lu gave the jurors instructions on the case before deciding to suspend the trial until this morning rather than rush the opening statements, which are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.?I know there has been a lengthy delay, but please understand we do not take your time lightly,” Lu told the jury before dismissing them.Lu said he expected the trial to last up to two weeks, including days off due to scheduling conflicts.A fourth man, Harold Baltodano, 22, of Lynn, is also accused of participating in the rape, but will have a separate trial because his lawyer is participating in a trial in Middlesex County, said William Martin, Brito?s attorney.Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].