Murder Suspect Has No|Objection to Jury Selection

SANFORD, Fla. (CN) - Trayvon Martin's killer George Zimmerman told Seminole County Judge Debra Nelson on Wednesday that he has no objections to the jury selection process for his second-degree murder trial.

Judge Nelson asked Zimmerman that direct Wednesday before the third day of his murder trial began.

Nelson had called in 10 prospective jurors for questioning before ending the day after 5 p.m.

Zimmerman, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer, killed the unarmed Martin on Feb. 26, 2012. He claims he did it in self-defense under Florida's so-called "stand your ground" law.

Zimmerman was not arrested for six weeks, until the killing had set off nationwide protests. Zimmerman, 29, is Latino and Martin, 17, was black.

Four jury candidates were dismissed Wednesday, for a total of 75 potential jurors dismissed since the trial began Monday.

Twenty remain out of the first 100 in the jury pool. Six will return today for more questioning.

Judge Nelson said that once 30 potential jurors have been questioned, and not been dismissed for cause or hardships, they will be brought together for broader questioning.

A man who said he did not think the Sanford, Fla. police did anything wrong until after Zimmerman was arrested was dismissed late Wednesday after a Facebook post he made came to light.

The 55-year-old, unemployed guitar player, posted a comment on a page called "The Coffee Party Progressive," which was formed to "bring justice to Trayvon."

On March 21, 2012 he wrote, "with the noise we made, it couldn't be covered up." That was more than two weeks before Zimmerman was arrested.

Many potential jurors claimed they did not trust the media and the case was not a racial issue. Exposure to media reports is a big issue in this jury selection.

Attorneys stopped questioning one man after he said, "Murder is murder, even if it's self defense."

The final possible juror of the day, No. E-28, said she doesn't have a Facebook page and doesn't watch the news much. She said she works a lot but would not have an issue dedicating more than six weeks to the trial.

Attorneys need six jurors and four alternates. Only six jurors are needed because it is not a capital case.

Martin's family has been present each day of the trial so far. Zimmerman's wife, Shelly, and his brother, Robert also have been in the courtroom.

"Evidence shows Trayvon Martin had no blood on his hands," Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump told the media after the proceedings ended Wednesday. "He is the

victim. Zimmerman was a grown man who was armed and profiled Trayvon. Trayvon was an unarmed child."

Martin's father Tracy said he is encouraged by the honesty of the potential jurors and his family just wants justice for their son.

Jury selection continues today.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit