Jury re-selected for 2021 murder case | News, Sports, Jobs

MINOT POLICE DEPARTMENT – MEDIA INFORMATION FORM

A second round of jury selection began Wednesday for the murder trial of Kamauri Kennedy, who is accused of the 2021 murder of Dominique Kelley.

The trial was originally scheduled to begin in April, but was paused due to new DNA evidence still being processed by the State Crime Lab. Jury selection included two groups of 50 potential jurors, who were then whittled down to a jury of 12 jurors and alternates.

Kennedy is accused of killing Dominique Kelley on June 3, 2021, after her body was found in a burning vehicle in Minot. The probable cause affidavit in the case has been filed under seal and is not available to the public.

Minot police began searching for Kennedy as a suspect shortly after Kelley's body was discovered, as they discovered he had ties to the victim. At the time of Kelley's murder, Kennedy was on probation for charges related to a 2013 conviction for stealing 19 Rolex watches from a jewelry store in Atlanta, Georgia. Under the terms of his probation, Kennedy was required to remain in prison in Michigan after serving five and a half years. Minot investigators determined that Kennedy had been living in Minot since November 2020.

Kennedy fled North Dakota and his vehicle was later found burned and abandoned in the Minneapolis area. He was arrested in Mount Clemens, Michigan, by U.S. Marshals Service agents in September 2023 after a high-speed chase and extradited to North Dakota to face trial.

Opening statements will be made today, and testimony is scheduled to continue through Friday, September 27.