Roger Clemens Retrial Starts Today; Chain of Custody May Be an Issue
Jury selection begins today in the retrial of former pitcher Roger Clemens, accused of perjury for telling a House committee that he never used steroids or human growth hormone.
Five prosecutors will face off against a six-lawyer defense team led by Houston lawyer Rusty Hardin, the Associated Press reports. Last year, only two prosecutors represented the government before U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton of Washington, D.C., declared a mistrial. Walton said at that time that prosecutors should not have shown a video that referenced banned evidence.
Walton told lawyers in September that some jurors in the first trial opined that a second trial would be a waste of taxpayers’ money, according to a second Associated Press story.
Defense lawyers may challenge physical evidence provided by former trainer Brian McNamee based on chain-of-custody concerns, the Associated Press reports in a third story. McNamee has previously said he saved some of the needles and gauze used when he injected Clemens.
