Jurors sworn in for hit-and-run trial of Roman Catholic bishop
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PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- Bishop Thomas O'Brien's car struck a pedestrian with a "very violent impact" that left the man's blood and hair on the vehicle, and O'Brien didn't even stop, a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday.
O'Brien, the former head of the Phoenix Roman Catholic Diocese, is on trial for leaving the scene of the fatal accident that killed pedestrian Jim Reed, 43, last June.
In his opening statement, Deputy County Attorney Anthony Novitsky urged the jurors not to focus on who caused the accident or what killed Reed but on O'Brien's failure to stop.
"He was hit by the vehicle driven by Thomas O'Brien. It was a very violent impact," Novitsky said. "One would have expected the driver of the vehicle to hit the brakes. That vehicle did not stop. It accelerated away from the scene."
The prosecutor said fibers from Reed's shirt were found embedded in O'Brien's car windshield. Hair, tissue and blood from Reed were also found on the car, Novitsky said.
Defense attorneys, who were expected to give their opening statement later Tuesday, have said that Reed was drunk and jaywalking at the time of the accident. O'Brien told authorities he didn't realize he hit a person and thought his car had been struck by a rock or an animal.
During his statement, Novitsky showed slides of Reed, a carpenter and father of two, and of the accident scene. Members of his family sat in the front row of the courtroom but declined to comment on the trial.
Police indicated that Reed was struck by two cars on the night of June 14; O'Brien's was believed to have been the first. Both cars drove off.
If convicted, O'Brien could face a sentence ranging from probation to three years and nine months in prison. The 68-year-old bishop received handshakes and hugs from supporters as he entered the courtroom Tuesday.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Stephen Gerst has said the trial could last a month.
O'Brien, who led the Phoenix diocese's nearly 480,000 Catholics for more than two decades, resigned after he was charged.
The accident came during a troubled period for the diocese.
Less than two weeks earlier, prosecutors announced that O'Brien had signed an immunity deal to spare him an indictment on obstruction charges for protecting priests accused of child molestation. As part of the deal, O'Brien agreed he would no longer handle abuse claims.
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