Still struggling to swear in a 12-person jury, Judge Belvin Perry on Day 9 of jury selection told prosecutors and defense teams that opening arguments in the Casey Anthony Case will commence next Monday, at 9:00 am, in the Orange County Courthouse, “if we have a jury.”
Now into the ninth day of jury selection in the first degree murder trial of Casey Anthony who is accused of killing her two-year-old daughter, Perry has struggled to seat a jury of 12 and select 8 alternates, as he had earlier hoped.
At one point on Wednesday, it was uncertain whether or not jury selection would have to be moved from the Pinellas County Courthouse, as provision had not been made for use of the courtroom beyond Thursday. But just before breaking for a recess around 11:20 am, Perry confirmed that arrangements had been made, if necessary, for jury selection to continue through Friday and Saturday later this week.
The jury selection process has moved slowly for a variety of reasons, but largely because of the extreme pre-trial publicity of the case. There is hardly anyone in Pinellas County who does not know something about the Casey Anthony case.
The prosecution and defense have talked to 200 potential jurors and so far, 11 jurors have made it through both phases of inquiry.
Just before the lunch break on Wednesday, the prosecution moved to strike juror # 3283, using up its seventh peremptory strike. The defense has one remaining peremptory strike and the state, three.
There are 15 more potential jurors to be questioned in phase two, which deals with pre-trial publicity and the death penalty. The defense would like those 15 jurors questioned, before it utilizes its last peremptory strike.
Perry has said all along he would seat 12 jurors, when he gets to that number, and then the search for alternates will begin.
Casey Anthony is charged with murdering her two-year-old daughter, Caylee. She had initially claimed her daughter was kidnapped by a baby sitter, but that “story” was later debunked by her defense attorneys.
Court watchers believe that, based on questions posed to potential jurors by the Anthony defense team, it is almost certain that factors such as sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse will loom large as part of the Casey defense strategy. How these dots will be connected to Caylee’s murder, is anyone’s guess.
Opening arguments in the first degree murder trial, initially scheduled for May 17, in the Orange County Court in Orlando, will now be on Monday, May 23, at 9:00 am.
