| Updated: 11/03/2009 4:29 pm |
Published: 11/02/2009 10:51 am |
Jury selection is in the second day in the capital murder trial over Anne Pressly's death.
Right now the total stands at 11 jurors, 7 white males and 4 black females. This number is whittled down from 100 Monday morning. Attorneys are working to find 12 jurors and 2 alternates to hear the evidence.
We tried to talk to potential jurors Monday night who had been dismissed. But they say they were told not to talk to the media. The judge expects the trial start Wednesday.
Of the 100 potential jurors, only one hadn't heard about the Pressly case. In addition to capital murder, Vance also faces rape and burglary charges.
Her accused killer, Curtis Vance, was seen for the first time in court wearing slacks and a button down shirt. He was facing potential jurors who will decide his guilt or innocence and the possibility of whether he will receive the death penalty.
Each juror is questioned individually at first about the intense media attention focused on the case. And then in groups of five at a time jury candidates are asked questions like “Do you live in the Heights, Hillcrest or Cammack village neighborhoods?” and “What is your opinion of the reliability of DNA testing?”
DNA is expected to be the key piece of state evidence that places Vance inside Anne Pressly’s home and links him to her murder.
Judge Piazza thinks the murder trial of Curtis Vance will take two weeks. After that Vance faces a rape trial in Marianna. Prosecutors there say he attacked a school teacher.
