She sat in front of potential jurors with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her face was thin and drawn. Her eyes looked tired and hollow. She wore no make-up. She was dressed in a simple seafoam green sweater and gray skirt.
Casey Marie Anthony began the initial day of jury selection for her trial where the 25-year-old is accused of murdering her two-year-old little girl, Caylee, sometime between June 15 and July 16, 2008.
Casey began crying and gripping paper towels, wiping her nose, as potential jurors piled into the courtroom one by one. There were so many of them that folding chairs were brought in for them to sit. There were said to be 110 total. She faced them the entire time and especially teared up when the Judge read the indictment.
Casey is charged with 1st degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and four counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer. She has pleaded not guilty and told the judge that she did not engage in a plea bargain with prosecutors.
Orange-Osceola Chief Judge Belvin Perry told jurors that the trial could last six to eight weeks in Orange County, where they would be sequestered. The estimated cost is $300,000. Jury selection is expected to take five days.
The Judge will have to qualify potential jurors in three categories: hardship qualification, media qualification and death qualification. If potential jurors make it past the hardship qualification, which is first, they will continue.
Judge Perry admonished jurors not to talk about the case at all, not to watch television, not to post information on Facebook or Twitter and not discuss information with each other. During jury selection, potential jurors will be taken in groups of 45 to be placed in a separate grand jury room. Then, they will be brought out one at a time into the court room for individual voir dire.
Local defense attorneys describe Judge Perry as a "no-nonsense kind of guy." Another attorney said that Judge Berry "will take control of the courtroom."
Casey Marie Anthony began the initial day of jury selection for her trial where the 25-year-old is accused of murdering her two-year-old little girl, Caylee, sometime between June 15 and July 16, 2008.
Casey began crying and gripping paper towels, wiping her nose, as potential jurors piled into the courtroom one by one. There were so many of them that folding chairs were brought in for them to sit. There were said to be 110 total. She faced them the entire time and especially teared up when the Judge read the indictment.
Casey is charged with 1st degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and four counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer. She has pleaded not guilty and told the judge that she did not engage in a plea bargain with prosecutors.
Orange-Osceola Chief Judge Belvin Perry told jurors that the trial could last six to eight weeks in Orange County, where they would be sequestered. The estimated cost is $300,000. Jury selection is expected to take five days.
The Judge will have to qualify potential jurors in three categories: hardship qualification, media qualification and death qualification. If potential jurors make it past the hardship qualification, which is first, they will continue.
Judge Perry admonished jurors not to talk about the case at all, not to watch television, not to post information on Facebook or Twitter and not discuss information with each other. During jury selection, potential jurors will be taken in groups of 45 to be placed in a separate grand jury room. Then, they will be brought out one at a time into the court room for individual voir dire.
