Jury candidates' familiarity with George Zimmerman case varies

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — A 65-year-old who said both George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin were at fault in Martin's fatal shooting was among four potential jurors interviewed by attorneys during the first day of Zimmerman's trial on second-degree murder charges.

Jury selection was expected to continue today as prosecuting and defense attorneys question dozens of potential jurors, a process that is expected to take all week, if not longer.

Zimmerman, who was a neighborhood watch volunteer, is pleading not guilty to a charge that could carry a life sentence if convicted. He claims he shot the 17-year-old Martin in self-defense.

Judge Debra Nelson has said she will keep the identities of the selected jurors anonymous, but she rejected a defense request to sequester the initial jury pool of 500 residents. The familiarity of the first four jurors questioned Monday ranged from specific details of the February 2012 encounter to vague outlines of the incident and the circumstances that led to the deadly encounter.

Juror "B30", a 65-year-old man with hearing loss, said he recalled Martin's parents going public about their concerns over the lack of an immediate arrest last year and more recently testimony over whether voice-recognition experts should be allowed to testify at trial.

"There was fault on both sides as far as I can see, two people being in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said. "Two people who instigated something that could have been avoided."