Santa Maria Fairpark to be site of jury selection in MS-13 murder trials

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Jury selection for the murder trial involving alleged members of the MS-13 gang will take place at the Santa Maria Fair Park.

As first reported by our media partners at Noozhawk, hundreds of people are expected to be summoned.

Ten men are accused of multiple murders that took place in Santa Maria between 2013 and 2016.

The arrests were made as part of a months-long investigation that ended with a massive sweep in the early morning hours of March 3, 2016. Authorities arrested more than a dozen people and detained about 40 others in what was known as "Operation Matador."

Multiple arrest warrants were executed simultaneously by over 150 police officers, deputies and federal agents in Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Kern County and in Columbus, Ohio.

The case is so big, it's being split into two trials with five defendants in each one.

The trials could take about a year and more than 150 people are expected to be brought in as potential jurors.

Jury selection starts on August 2 at the Fairpark to accommodate the large number of potential jurors.