Jury selection entered a second day on Tuesday in George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial in Sanford Florida. Zimmerman was charged with shooting and killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, as was walking back to the home of his father's fiancee from a convenience store on February 26, 2012.
Jury selection started Monday morning, and the process is expected to take at least a week, the Huffington Post reported.
The challenge for both the prosecution and the defense is to find six impartial jurors, reporters on the scene said. Florida law stipulates that 12 jurors are required only for criminal trials that could result in the death penalty. Zimmerman faces life in prison if found guilty.
From an initial pool of 500 Sanford-area residents, four potential jurors were interviewed by attorneys on Monday. One was a 65-year-old man who said he thought Zimmerman and Martin were both at fault, the Huffington Post also reported.
"There was fault on both sides as far as I can see, two people being in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.
When the case makes its way to trial, the jury will have to determine if Zimmerman's actions are protected by Florida's 'stand your ground' laws, which stipulates that someone can shoot in self-defense only when necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm. Zimmerman's attorneys have said that their client, then 28, was attacked by Martin while serving as a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman's camp contends that he only acted in self-defense when he shot Martin, an African-American.
Prosecutors have deemed Martin's death an instance of second-degree murder.
Mark O'Mara is representing Zimmerman, and the lead prosecutor for the state of Florida is Bernie de la Rionda.
