Clearwater, Florida -- Jury selection in the Casey Anthony murder trial broke for lunch Saturday morning after the rejection of eight potential jurors, including one man who posted to his Facebook account that he had a "title, cover and all" ready for the book about the case.
Attorneys and Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. of the Orange County Superior Court allowed only one potential juror through from morning questioning, a 22-year-old man who said he paid no attention to the news.
Anthony, 25, is charged with capital murder in the death of her daughter, two-year-old Caylee, whose body was found in woods near her family's home in 2008. She has pleaded not guilty.
She faces six other charges, including aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and misleading law enforcement.As in a marathon session on Friday, jurors were questioned Saturday about everything from their news-watching habits to criminal records.
After questioning and quickly dismissing five jurors for reasons ranging from financial hardship to bias, lawyers and the judge began questioning a 22-year-old man who said he doesn't follow the news "because it's just awful."
Assistant State's Attorney Jeff Ashton questioned whether the man would be able to bear the grim details of the case.
"You've already told us you live your life avoiding unpleasant things like the news," Ashton said. "Are you absolutely sure you can do it?"
"Yes, sir," the candidate replied.
"No doubt in your mind?" Ashton asked.
"No, sir," the man replied.
When asked by lead defense attorney Jose Baez whether his decision would be influenced if Anthony declines to testify on her own behalf, the candidate said "I can definitely understand not wanting to be up here."
The line elicited laughter from nearly everyone in the courtroom, including Anthony.
Anthony's lead defense attorney sought to have the man dismissed for failing to disclose an entanglement with the law over apparent marijuana possession, but the judge refused. He was ordered to stand by for possible duty.
Perry later approved the dismissal of a man who posted on his Facebook page what the potential juror said was a joking reference to a "book coming soon" after announcing he had been called for potential jury duty on a big trial.
"Already have the title, cover and all," Assistant State's Attorney Frank George said in reciting one of the posts.
Also dismissed was a woman who said she had lost a son in a car accident that required an extensive police investigation. She said she viewed the charge that Anthony had lied to investigators as evidence of "guilt by omission."
By the end of the lunch break on Saturday, nine people, including people who were tapped earlier in the week, were considered viable candidates at the selection held at Pinellas County courthouse in Florida.
Perry said he would begin swearing in jurors once the number of unrejected candidates reached 15.
Twelve jurors and eight alternates will eventually be seated on the jury, which will be moved to and sequestered in Orange County, where the alleged crime happened and the trial will take place.
Jury selection was moved from Orlando to Clearwater amid intense media coverage of the case, which could make it difficult to select an impartial jury.
"The cry was pretrial publicity. In a free society, I cannot stop the press from reporting, broadcasting and reporting," said Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. of the Orange County Superior Court.
Perry said Friday that it is imperative to seat a jury as quickly as possible before more potential jurors are swayed by the media coverage.
"The longer we wait, the more dangers there are," he said.
The goal is to have everything finalized for opening arguments Tuesday in Orlando.
Prosecutors have said they plan to show Anthony used "a substance" to kill her daughter. The girl's skeletal remains were found in December 2008 in woods near their home after she went missing for six months.
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