Third Day of Jury Selection in George Zimmerman Trial

Questioning of potential jurors in Zimmerman trial continues Wednesday

The questioning of potential jurors in the George Zimmerman trial continued for a third day at the Seminole County courthouse Wednesday.

Circuit Judge Debra Nelson began Wednesday by asking Zimmerman questions about the jury selection process. She asked him if his attorneys explained the process to him, and if he was satisfied with answers to his concerns if he had any. Zimmerman answered yes to all of Judge Nelson's questions.

Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February 2012. He has pleaded not guilty, saying it was self-defense.

Judge Nelson is presiding over the case, which is expected to last more than a month.

Five hundred people have been summoned for consideration as possible jurors. When the court adjourned on Wednesday, 20 people made it through the initial round of questioning and were in the potential juror pool. A total of 75 potential jurors have been dismissed so far for a variety of reasons.

Judge Nelson has ruled that the identities of potential jurors will be kept confidential but potential jurors won't be sequestered, as defense attorneys requested. Potential jurors are only being referred to by their jury numbers in court.

Jury candidates who move on from the initial round of questioning about their knowledge of the case, face additional rounds of interviews with the attorneys.

Meanwhile, University of Texas journalism professor Mary Bock is also at the courthouse in Sanford, using the Zimmerman trial as a teaching tool. Her area of expertise is related to how photographs and video are perceived in the public arena. She said images, without explanation, can create a perception that’s not necessarily reality.

“The problem with that is if our eyes see something as dangerous, it doesn’t matter if I say to you 100 times innocent until proven guilty, we are undoing what our eyes told us,” Bock said.

George Zimmerman has sued NBCUniversal, the parent company of this site, for defamation. The company has strongly denied his allegations.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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