A Cheshire County Superior Court jury was selected Monday for the upcoming trial of a man accused of murdering a Keene toddler.
Annthoni Bliss, 24, of Lyndeborough, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Luca Hudson, 23 months, in January 2024.
Under state law, a person has committed second-degree murder if they knowingly cause the death of another person and cause “such death recklessly under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to the value of human life,” according to RSA 630:1.
Prosecutors allege Bliss subjected Luca to “abusive violence” while he and Luca’s older brother were in his care and did not obtain timely medical assistance for the toddler.
A medical examiner concluded Luca died by homicide from blunt head trauma, according to court filings and testimony given in previous hearings.
Bliss has pleaded not guilty.
The court spent roughly 3½ hours selecting jurors from a pool of roughly 90 people Monday morning. State prosecutors and counsel for Bliss also had the opportunity to ask questions of the jurors and speak to them generally about the case.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley told the jurors they would be hearing testimony from medical experts and the child’s mother, and would be shown autopsy photos and cellphone data.
He also told jurors that the state did not need to prove a motive for them to find Bliss guilty. Monique Schmidt, a public defender representing Bliss, explained to the jurors that, as a defendant, Bliss does not need to testify.
The trial is set to begin next Monday, Oct. 26, at 9 a.m. and scheduled to take place over six days.
Noah Diedrich can be reached at 603-355-8569, or ndiedrich@keenesentinel.com.
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