Jury chosen in Keene toddler murder case as trial date nears

The trial is scheduled to start next Monday, Oct. 26, at 9 a.m. and is expected to last six days.

A Cheshire County Superior Court jury was seated Monday for the trial of Annthoni Bliss, 24, of Lyndeborough, who is accused of killing a Keene child in January 2024.

Bliss is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Luca Hudson, who was 23 months old at the time. He has entered a not guilty plea.

The trial is scheduled to start next Monday, Oct. 26, at 9 a.m. and is expected to last six days.

During Monday’s jury selection, the court worked through a pool of about 90 prospective jurors for roughly 3½ hours. Prosecutors and defense attorneys each had a chance to question the panel and explain basic aspects of the case.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley told the group they would hear from medical experts and Luca’s mother, and that jurors would be shown autopsy photographs and cellphone records. He also said the state would not be required to prove a motive. Monique Schmidt, a public defender for Bliss, informed jurors that the defendant is not obligated to take the stand.

According to prosecutors, Bliss inflicted abusive violence on Luca while he and the boy’s older brother were in his care and failed to secure prompt medical help. Court filings and earlier testimony say a medical examiner determined the child died from blunt force head trauma and ruled the death a homicide.

Under New Hampshire law, second-degree murder applies when a person knowingly causes another person’s death and does so recklessly under circumstances showing extreme indifference to human life.