Donald Jessamine is charged with vehicular homicide and aggravated manslaughter in the 2012 accident.
The case of a deadly 2012 boat crash on the Delaware River is heading to trial.
Donald Jessamine, of Phillipsburg, appeared Monday in state Superior Court in Belvidere as both sides argued over testimony from an expert witness the prosecution plans to call.
A judge's ruling in the matter set the stage for the trial to begin Tuesday with jury selection.
Jessamine is accused of drunkenly driving a jet boat June 23, 2012, into boulders in the Delaware River in Harmony Township, sending him and his passengers, Lane Alden and Jerry Robbins, into the water.
The two men made it to shore. The 57-year-old Alden's body was recovered in Williams Township five days later. She died of blunt force trauma.
Jessamine is charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and first-degree aggravated manslaughter. He could face 30 years in prison if convicted.
3 things to know as boat crash trial begins
The issue in Tuesday's hearing was about statistical risk analysis expected to be introduced by one of the state's expert witnesses. Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke said the witness will testify about behavioral aspects of a person under the influence of alcohol, including the risk of harmful actions based on a person's blood-alcohol level.
Jessamine's attorney, Michael Priarone, told Judge Bruce Jones that while he didn't object to the expert's opinion, the witness should be barred from giving statistics he said could improperly sway a jury.
The judge agreed with the defense.
At least twice before, Priarone has attempted to have the court dismiss results of Jessamine's sobriety tests, which showed Jessamine's blood-alcohol content was .09, according to court records. Priarone has argued the results are unreliable because they were administered hours after the crash.
The court will call in 75 prospective jurors Tuesday morning to begin assembling a panel of 14, the judge said. The trial is expected to last about two weeks.
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