Hyannis House Party Murder Trial: Jury Selection Begins

HYANNIS, MA – Jury selection began Tuesday in the trial of Kelly Ridley, Jr., a Hyannis man accused of fatally stabbing another man at a house party in 2016. Ridley, 18 years old at the time of the stabbing, is charged with murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Authorities allege he struck 26-year-old Thomas Russell, Jr., a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, with a metal scooter and stabbed him during a fight at a house party on Beth Lane the night of Oct. 22, 2016. Ridley is also accused of stabbing another man, who survived.

Ridley's attorney plans to argue that his client acted in self-defense and has sought to prevent text messages Ridley sent to his uncle the night of the stabbing from being read in court, according to the Cape Cod Times. The prosecution has also alleged that multiple witnesses were intimidated after testifying in front of a grand jury and others recanted their stories.

A start date for opening statements has not yet been confirmed.

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