Jury selection in Greene County is reportedly off to a slow start in the trial of a Jefferson man accused of sexually abusing his 12-year-old daughter and 16-year-old niece. The process got underway Tuesday in the trial of 46-year-old James Exline, Jr., but the victim’s voices will not be heard in this case as his daughter, Paige Exline, and her cousin, Shakiah Cockerham, were killed in a Guthrie Center house fire on May 15. Authorities believe that fire was intentionally set by Exline’s stepson, Patrick Thompson. Seventy-nine potential jurors were called, though several were dismissed right away. Fourteen jurors will need to be seated before the trial begins.
