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Jury Selected in Jackson case |
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One woman whose sister was raped as a child and another whose grandson is a registered sex offender made up the jury of eight women and four men chosen on Wednesday in Michael Jackson's child molestation case. The jurors who appear to have little in common with a 46-year-old pop superstar, range in age from 20 to 79 and include two students. But most are older, working class, reflecting Santa Maria and other central California communities where they live reports Reuters
"We have a jury," Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville said after prosecutors and Jackson's lawyers said they would accept the panel. He then began working to find eight alternates who would replace any juror dismissed during the trial.
Opening statements could begin as early as next week, after Melville considers last-minute legal arguments from both sides.
The panel, which was selected faster than legal experts had expected, is made up of eight whites, three Hispanics and one Asian, a 39-year-old woman.
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