40 Jurors Selected for Zimmerman Trial

SANFORD, Fla. (CN) - The jury for George Zimmerman's murder trial will be chosen from a winnowed-down pool of 24 women and 16 men: 27 are white, seven are black, three are mixed race and three are Latino.

On Tuesday, the seventh day of jury selection, prosecutors and defenders agreed on the 40 people to submit to a second round of questioning.

The 40 prospective jurors were chosen partly on the basis of least pre-trial exposure to the case and little to no hardships anticipated by a trial expected to take two to four weeks, after opening statements.

Since it is not a capital case, the jury will consist of six jurors and four alternates.

Zimmerman, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer, killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, 2012. Martin was unarmed.

Zimmerman, 29, claims he killed Martin in self-defense under Florida's so-called "stand your ground" law. He is charged with second-degree murder.

If convicted, he could face life in prison.

After the shooting, Zimmerman was not arrested for 44 days, sparking protests around the nation.

Prosecutors claim Zimmerman, a white Hispanic, profiled Martin because he was black.

Potential jurors questioned Tuesday said they had no strong opinions about the case and did not trust everything the media reported.

Seminole County Judge Debra Nelson said she will sequester the jury.

One jury prospect is 5 months pregnant with her first child. She said that could be a hardship, and it would be difficult not speaking to her family.

Another woman said serving on the jury would be a hassle because her job does not pay for jury duty and she would be unable to pay her bills.

A middle-aged man said he's "not trying to apply for this job" as a juror, and he doesn't have enough facts to form an opinion. He said Nelson is handling two outstanding homeowners' association lawsuits of his.

It appears these prospective jurors were not eliminated.

A mixed-race prospective juror described the case as sad for both sides.

"You had a family grieving for the loss of their son," he said. "You have another family grieving for the potential loss of their loved one to this process."

At 4 p.m. today, after the second round of voir dire begins, Judge Nelson will continue hearing arguments on whether expert witnesses will be allowed to testify about a 911 recording in which someone is heard calling for help.

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