With the jury having been selected, opening statements in the Kyle Roider murder trial are set to get underway at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Monroe County Courthouse in Waterloo.

Roider, 33, is charged with first degree murder and aggravated battery in the January 2019 shooting death of 35-year-old Steven Becker in Waterloo.

Judge Julia Gomric told the 12 jurors and two alternates at the end of jury deliberation Tuesday that the trial could go into next week, but assured them they will not be in trial the third week of their jury duty. The jury is mostly female, with only three males sitting in the jury box. Both alternates are females. The jury represents a wide range of age groups.

Although the Republic-Times was not allowed to observe jury deliberation, there were two groups of 45 or more potential jurors initially brought in for the voir dire process, but the court was able to secure all 14 seats from the first pool. This selection process went all day Monday and resumed Tuesday morning. By lunchtime, the 12 jurors and alternates were in their assigned seats for the trial and being briefed over their responsibilities by Gomric.

Gomric instructed the jurors to not talk to others about the case, including family members, friends and the press, until after the trial is over. They are not to discuss the case with each other until deliberation. After the case is over, they may discuss the case if they wish. Before bidding the jurors and alternates farewell for the afternoon, Gomric reminded them to “stay off the internet tonight.”

Gomric also discussed the essential role of the alternate jurors, who are seated on rolling chairs outside of the jury box in front of the gallery. She explained the alternates ensure that if something happened to one of the jurors to where they would miss proceedings, the alternates make it so the trial would not have to start from the beginning.

“Listen as if you are a juror that is in that box,” Gomric urged the alternates.

Each juror will be provided a notepad and writing utensils, and all are socially distanced in the jury box. Two rolling chairs were added to the jury box per social distancing precautions. There is a seat, or a seat’s worth of distance, between each juror.

The jurors were instructed to return to Courtroom 214 at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday for opening statements, which Gomric said the prosecution and defense told her would be brief. From there, the trial will proceed and most likely throughout the rest of the week. As stated above, it could spill into next week.

As Monroe County Circuit Clerk Lisa Fallon previously told the Republic-Times, gallery seating will be on a “first-come, first-serve basis.” Seating is limited due to the need for social distancing.

Roider was in the courtroom Tuesday along with his defense, led by attorney T.J. Matthes of the St. Louis law firm Rosenblum, Schwartz & Fry. After jurors were dismissed and the prosecution and judge left the courtroom, the defense team and Roider hung back for a hushed discussion.

Monroe County State’s Attorney Lucas Liefer is prosecuting the case. When the case began in early 2019, Chris Hitzemann was serving as the county’s state’s attorney. Hitzemann is now serving as the Monroe County resident judge on the 20th Judicial Circuit Court, but is seated in St. Clair currently as he cannot judge any cases filed during his time as state’s attorney.

The Republic-Times will provide updates as the case continues. Follow the Republic-Times on Twitter at @republictimes.

UPDATE: On Aug. 27, 2021, a Monroe County jury found Kyle Roider not guilty of first-degree murder and not guilty of aggravated battery with a firearm. These charges were brought against Roider in connection with Steven Becker’s January 2019 death.