Jury selection begins for trial of senior accused of killing Palm Springs woman

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) - Jury selection began today in the trial of an 82-year-old man accused of fatally bludgeoning a senior who had invited him to stay at her and her husband's Palm Springs home.

Stephen Roy McKernan allegedly killed 75-year-old Claire Carsman in 2019.   

McKernan is charged with first-degree murder and sentence-enhancing allegations of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony, inflicting great bodily injury and being in possession of a firearm during a felony.   

Last week, the case, which has dragged on for years as the defendant experienced health complications, changed attorneys and underwent a lengthy psychiatric assessment, was initially transferred from Indio to Riverside for adjudication, but proceedings were suspended for unknown reasons, after which the matter was lodged at the Banning Justice Center.   

Superior Court Sam Diaz summoned several panels of prospective jurors to the courthouse Tuesday for screening as to their availability and qualifications. The process was expected to continue through the rest of the week.

McKernan is being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility.    According to testimony from the defendant's 2020 preliminary hearing, he had known Carsman and her husband, whose identity was not disclosed, for years, and the couple invited him to stay with them in April 2019.

On the morning of April 22, the victim's spouse headed to an area casino to gamble, leaving his wife and McKernan alone at the single-story residence in the 300 block of Pico Road, near Zanjero Road.

At some point during the roughly six-hour period in which the man was out, an unspecified confrontation occurred between McKernan and the woman, culminating in him allegedly attacking her with a household object, prosecutors said.

Carsman's husband returned around 6 in the evening to find her dead on the floor from ``significant trauma'' to the upper body, the Palm Springs Police Department said at the time.

McKernan was still at the property when officers arrived in response to the spouse's 911 call. The defendant was taken into custody without incident.

A forensic technician testified in the preliminary hearing that blood found on the defendant's shoes, shirt and pants indicated he was near the victim when she was struck with blunt force, which caused her blood to splatter.

McKernan has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.