Casey Anthony broke down Monday morning as jury selection got underway in the Pinellas County Courthouse.
Orange-Osceola Chief Judge Belvin Perry, who only earlier today made known that jurors will be selected from Pinellas County, began by reading specific instructions from a prepared text to potential jurors.
Perry also read out the charges facing Casey–first degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and four counts of providing false information to law enforcement.
Casey cried off and on, as Perry read from his prepared remarks.
Initially, 110 potential jurors are being screened, 45 of which have been selected in the first batch.
Jurors are making their way into the court room, one by one and are being questioned to determine their suitability. Three categories of “hardship” are being explored with jurors.
First each juror is being questioned on what “hardship”, financial or otherwise, if any, might be experienced should that individual be selected as a juror.
The Anthony first degree murder trial is expected to run for 6 to 8 weeks and jurors will be away from their homes in Pinellas County.
Next, if jurors meet the “hardship qualification”, they will also be questioned on how much they already know about the case, given the substantial media exposure that has already been generated.
Perry issued a stern warning to potential jurors, not to look at television, read news papers, use computers or any electronic devices to get information related to the case. He also urged them not to discuss the case among themselves or with family members.
Jurors will also have to meet the “death qualification” criteria, meaning that they will have to take an oath indicating they are open to the death penalty. Prosecutors have asked for the death penalty, if Casey is found guilty.
Once the jury pool is narrowed, prosecutors and defense attorneys will also have an opportunity to ask more searching questions of them.
Perry indicated he expects twenty jurors, 12 to sit on the case and 8 alternates, will be selected by the end of the week.
Opening arguments by both the state and defense team are expected to get going at the Orange County Courthouse on May 17th.
Casey was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on Sunday evening around 6:00 pm, and will be in court every day throughout jury selection.
Anthony, 25, is charged with first degree murder in the death of her two-year-old daughter Caylee between June 15-16, 2008. She had initially claimed her daughter was kidnapped by a baby sitter, but that “story” was later debunked by her defense attorneys.
It is unclear what the defense’s strategy will be, although there is speculation that they may try to pin the child’s death on one of Casey’s family members.
The trial is expected to be the most watched in Orange County and some observers have likened it to the O.J. Simpson murder trial in 1995, given the media intensity. But perhaps that’s where the similarities end as, Simpson was able to hire a high-profile defense team led by Johnnie Cochran and persuaded jurors that there was reasonable doubt about the DNA evidence.
Although Casey has a high profile attorney in Cheney Mason on her defense team, court room watchers wonder if it sufficient heft to win an acquittal.
