Jury selection begins in hunters' slayings

Jury selection begins this week in the trial of a Hmong immigrant accused of shooting six deer hunters to death last November. Eyewitnesses and friends of those killed portray the slayings as cold-blooded, while the defendant says he was shot at first and acted in self-defense after the hunters insulted him.

Jury selection begins Thursday in Madison for the trial of Chai Soua Vang, a 36-year-old St. Paul, Minn., truck driver, National Guard veteran and father of six. Jury selection was moved to Dane County because of concern about pretrial publicity and possible racial animosity.

Vang came to the United States in 1980 at age 11. He is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. He faces life in prison if convicted.

The Hmong settled in the United States after fleeing Laos when communists seized control in 1975. More than 100,000 live in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and some have suggested the clash grew out of cultural differences between hunters.

Court to consider Columbine items

Colorado's Supreme Court has scheduled arguments for next week on whether videotapes and diaries made by the Columbine High School gunmen can be released publicly.

The parents of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris argue that the items are privately owned and not subject to a state open-records law. The Denver Post filed a lawsuit seeking public release in 2002.

Justices are scheduled to hear arguments Sept. 13. An appeals court ruled last year there was no reason to seal the material but said state law allows authorities to withhold documents if release would be contrary to the public interest.

The Jefferson County sheriff also is fighting the release of the items, which were seized from the Harris and Klebold homes after the teens attacked their classmates April 20, 1999, killing 12 and a teacher before taking their own lives.

Lily Oeffler, assistant Jefferson County attorney, said in court papers that releasing documents seized from private homes would violate constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure.

Compiled from The Associated Press