JOHN MCCANN

jmccann@heraldsun.com; 419-6601

DURHAM -- The first-degree murder trial for Keith Kidwell that started weeks ago during football season has bled into hoops time.

And that may impact one of the jurors who is a non-faculty head basketball coach for a Durham Public Schools middle school. The juror alerted Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson that tryouts are next week and he'd like to be there.

Jury selection for the trial began Sept. 23. Kidwell, 25, faces life in prison without parole if convicted in the killing of convenience store clerk Crayton Nelms in February 2005.

The jurors were finalized on Sept. 24 and Kidwell's trial was expected to last around two weeks. But Hudson told jurors that determining the length of trials is not an exact science.

Indeed, there has been no shortage of stops and starts in this case. Defense lawyer Lisa Williams repeatedly has halted proceedings to argue that the prosecution wasn't judicious about turning over information that could help her prepare her defense.

And Williams on Oct. 15 informed the court that the case had made her ill, so Hudson sent the juror home early that day and gave them the next day off, as well. Hudson himself was gone the following week at a conference for judges at the UNC School of Government in Chapel Hill -- another stoppage.

Now it's basketball season. The prosecution has yet to rest its case and Williams will present her case only when that happens.

Hudson on Thursday said Cline and Williams indicated they may start closing arguments on Monday, the first day of basketball tryouts for the coach/juror.

So as much as coaches like to game plan, it's a wait-and-see proposition for the juror trying to get his basketball squad ready for the upcoming season.

"Let me see where we are Monday," the judge said.