Six jurors seated as

selection continues

for murder trial
By Melanie Davis
Melanie@mountaintimes.com

Jury selection is continuing through Wednesday in the Superior Court trial of Neil Matthew Sargeant, 26, charged in the murder of a 19-year-old in 2005.

Sargeant has been in custody since November 2005. He was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, robbery with a dangerous weapon and burning of personal property in connection with the death of Stephen William Harringon, 19.

Harrington's body was discovered at 7:45 on the morning of Nov. 8, 2005 in the trunk of his own Subaru parked on Sleepy Hollow Lane in the Foscoe community. His arms were bound behind his back, and his face wrapped in duct tape.

Harrington's body had been set aflame in the trunk of the car.

The state medical examiner determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation due to the duct tape over his mouth and nose.

Sargeant's trial began Monday with jury selection. As of Tuesday at 5 p.m., six women had been seated in the jury panel. Questioning continued throughout Wednesday, eliminating those with adamant opposition to the death penalty and/or knowledge of the case or those involved.

A second pool of potential jurors was also called in Wednesday.

Judge Robert Payne said during open court on Tuesday that he hopes jury selection will be completed by Friday or early next week. Twelve jurors and three alternates will be selected for the trial.

Sargeant and two other co-defendants were charged within 24 hours of the discovery of the body.

The first co-defendant to stand trial was Kyle Quentin Triplett, 23, in mid-September. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, a lesser offense, first-degree kidnapping, robbery with a dangerous weapon, burning of personal property and conspiracy with Neil Sargeant to sell and/or deliver a schedule II controlled substance (cocaine). He was sentenced to 40 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

The third co-defendant Matthew Brandon Dalrymple, 22, has agreed to testify against his co-defendants in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table. He will stand trial at a later, yet undetermined, date.