Jury selection begins for Michael Jackson trial
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[size=14pt]Jury selection begins for Michael Jackson trial[/size]<br /><br /><br />Posted: Aug 07, 2011 4:06 PM PDT <br />Updated: Aug 07, 2011 5:41 PM PDT<br /><br /><br /><br />(CNN) - Jury selection is gearing up for the September trial of Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's former personal doctor who is facing charges in the singer's death.<br /><br />The process for picking jurors for the manslaughter trial starts with a 30 page, 117 question document, which lawyers from both sides came up with a few months ago.<br /><br />Answers that prospective jurors give to these questions will be poured over by the attorneys and their jury consultants.<br /><br />Jo-Ellan Dimitrius, who's made a career of picking juries dating back to the OJ Simpson murder trial, looked over a copy of the questionnaire.<br /><br />"Holy Cow, I'm just looking at the medications," she said.<br /><br />In a case like this, Dimitrius said there will be people who may lie to get picked.<br /><br />"The sad reality is that people have a hidden agenda, whether they want to write a book or they want their fifteen minutes of fame," she said.<br /><br />The questionnaire lists 136 potential witnesses including Jackson's parents, brothers and sisters and his three children.<br /><br />It also asks if, and even why, and individual saw the film about Jackson's last performing days, "This is It."<br /><br />The prosecution is planning to show a clip from the documentary because they said it proves Jackson was in good health days before his death.<br /><br />Potential jurors are also asked about their familiarity with a laundry list of 27 different prescription drugs, including propofol, the drug tied to his death.<br /><br />"The juror who has a lot of personal experience and knowledge of the drugs and medications that are going to be talked about is going to be a better defense juror," Dimitrius said.<br /><br />She said the defense also wants jurors who think Jackson was an oddball. She said prosecutors want the opposite - someone who's a Michael Jackson fan and believes the singer was manipulated during his life and wrongly accused of child molestation.<br /><br />Ultimately, she said the best jurors are those who can stand up to pressure in the jury room.<br /><br />"You want somebody who's strong who's not going to back down no matter what," she said.<br /><br />It's likely that at least one question will be added about the Casey Anthony trial. Lawyers on both sides may want to know how much individuals followed the trial.<br /><br />Murray's lawyers said they're concerned about the amount of publicity that Anthony received, suggesting that jurors might have to be sequestered to ensure Murray gets a fair trial.<br /><br />Copyright 2011 CNN. All rights reserved.
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