George Zimmerman Trial: Day 5 of Jury Selection in Trayvon Martin Shooting

George Zimmerman trial: Day 5 of jury selection in Trayvon Martin shooting

Zimmerman's trial began Monday in Sanford.

June 14, 2013|By Rene Stutzman, Orlando Sentinel

SANFORD - At 9:30 a.m. Friday, 23 people who survived Round 1 of jury selection this week in the George Zimmerman murder trial caught a break: they were free to leave until Tuesday.

And just before 5 p.m., Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson called in another group of six — who had been interviewed individually by attorneys earlier in the day — and told them to return Tuesday as well.

Barring disaster, they will be among a group culled down to create the jury that decides whether Zimmerman committed a crime on Feb. 26, 2012, when he shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old from Miami Gardens.

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara predicted late Friday that the panel of six jurors and four alternates will be in place by the middle or end of next week.

Who are they? Their names are being kept secret but below is a list of the 29. Court spokesman Michelle Kennedy reported late Friday that one person on this list had been excused, but did not provide specifics.

B-35: A middle-aged black man who owns a vending business. He was critical of the Rev. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and says this case is not racial.

B-29: A Hispanic nurse on an Alzheimer's ward who has seven children and lived in Chicago at time of shooting.

B-12: A middle-aged white woman who works the graveyard shift. She likes the crime-forensics show CSI and said she'd heard Zimmerman was following Trayvon.

B-76: A white middle-aged woman who said Zimmerman had an "altercation with the young man. There was a struggle and the gun went off."

B-51: A retired white woman from Oviedo who has a dog and 20-year-old cat. She knew a good deal about the case, but said "I'm not rigid in my thinking."

B-7: A middle-aged white man who listens to NPR. He remembered when Florida implemented its "stand your ground" law and the debate about whether it was needed.

B-37: A middle-aged white woman who works for a chiropractor and has many pets. She described protests in Sanford as "rioting."

B-86: A middle-aged white woman who works at a middle school. She said if Trayvon had not been "expelled" from school in Dade County — he was actually suspended — "this could have been prevented."

B-55: A small, dark-skinned woman who's a business major at college. She had almost no information about the case. "It doesn't concern me."

E-6: A young white woman and mother who used to work in financial services. She used this case as an example to her adolescent children, warning them to not go out at night.

E-40: A white woman in her 60s who lived in Iowa at the time of the shooting. She heard national news reports and recalls the shooting was in a gated community and a teenager was killed.

E-54: A middle-aged white man with a teenage stepson who wears hoodies. He recalled seeing photos of Zimmerman's head and face that show injuries.

E-73: A middle-aged white woman active in Sanford's arts community, who is raising her late brother's 15- and 18-year-old children. The media interjected race in this case, she said.

M-75: A young African-American woman who says many of her friends have opinions on the case, but she doesn't.

B-61: A young white woman who remembered that "after the protesters, it seemed to turn more into a racial issue...I don't think it's a racial issue."

B-72: A young man who does maintenance at a school and competes in arm wrestling tournaments. He said he avoids the news because he does not want to be "brainwashed."

E-22: A middle-aged African-American woman who said that after the shooting Sanford police should have booked Zimmerman and asked him more questions.

E-13: A young white woman who goes to college and works two jobs. She heard the shooting was a "racial thing."

E-28: A middle-aged white woman who works as a nurse. She knew little about the case and has no opinion about Zimmerman's guilt.

K-80: A middle-aged white woman with children who has not followed the case. She considers the "racial undertones" in the case "disturbing."

K-95: A middle-aged woman who's a full-time student and "IT geek" with two children. She was critical of protests calling for Zimmerman's arrest.

P-67: A native of Mexico who seemed eager to serve on the jury, describing it as a civic duty. "Some people think it is a racist thing," he said of the shooting.

G-14: A middle-aged white woman. "I remember a lot of anger, a lot of people upset that Mr. Zimmerman was not arrested immediately."

G-29: A young black woman who has lived in Seminole County eight months. "There is a lot of racial tension built up," she said, but she "stayed away from it."

G-47: A young white man who works as assistant manager at restaurant. Zimmerman appears to be "stuck in the worst situation" possible, he said.

G-63: A young, unemployed man who described himself as "mixed race." He knew few details about the case but denounced stereotyping and said people sometimes interject race into cases.

G-66: A retired white woman who cares for her toddler grandson and moved to Central Florida in 2011. When she saw photos of Zimmerman's injuries, "I felt sorry for him."

G-81: A tall black man who lives less than a half mile from the scene of the shooting. There is a racial divide in Sanford, he said, but the media has misportrayed the city.

H-6: A young white man who heard the phone call Zimmerman made to police before the shooting. "He sounded like he was concerned for his neighborhood."