Jury selection begins in George Zimmerman trial

Jury selection begins in George Zimmerman trial

SANFORD, Fla. - The George Zimmerman murder trial began today with the first day of jury selection, but attorneys failed to choose a single juror.

They reviewed what prospective jurors wrote on a questionnaire and did preliminary interviews of four possible panel members, but what quickly became clear is that finding a panel of six jurors plus four alternates in the high-profile case could take a very long time.

The work is to resume Tuesday at 9 a.m. when more than 100 prospective jurors are expected to report to the courthouse. Dozens of prospective jurors who never made it into the courtroom Monday also are expected back.

The trial, although much anticipated, did not draw a flood of protesters or even onlookers. Only a couple of dozen appeared throughout the day. They were peaceful, tended to seek out shade and were far outnumbered by reporters and photographers.

Attorneys spent much of Monday afternoon individually asking prospective jurors what they know about the case. They questioned four, but they’re not finished with them. In their questions, the lawyers asked only about pretrial publicity.

The four were a woman with seven children, a grandmother who works the graveyard shift and likes game shows, a retiree with hearing problems and a woman who does not subscribe to cable television.