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Jury Selection Completed in First Inmate Uprising Trial

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WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - Jury selection is complete in the trial of four Delaware inmates charged with murder, kidnapping and other crimes following a fatal prison riot.

With the process of picking jurors completed Thursday, opening statements and initial testimony are slated for Oct. 22.

The four defendants are among 18 inmates charged in the riot. One inmate has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the others, who will be tried in five separate groups.

Inmates at the state's maximum-security rioted on Feb. 1 last year, killing prison guard Steven Floyd and taking three other staffers hostage.

Two other prison guards were released by inmates after being beaten and tormented. A female counselor was held hostage for almost 20 hours before tactical teams burst through a wall with a backhoe and rescued her.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.