Jury selection begins in NY murder trial of New Zealand man charged in wife’s slaying

New Zealand man on trial in NY in wife’s murder

ITHACA, N.Y. — Jury selection has begun in the murder trial of a New Zealand man charged with stabbing his wife to death on a New York park trail last year.

Blazej (BLAH’-zay) Kot is on trial in Ithaca for the slaying of 28-year-old Caroline Coffey, a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University. Kot was a graduate student at the Ivy League school at the time of the slaying.

Authorities say Kot cut Coffey’s throat June 2 on a trail in an Ithaca-area state park. Police say the 25-year-old from Auckland set fire to the couple’s apartment to cover up the crime.

He was later found by state park police bleeding from a self-inflicted wound to his throat.

Jury selection continues Tuesday in Tompkins County Court.