All-female Zimmerman jury chosen

Yamiche Alcindor | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption All-female jury selected to hear George Zimmerman case After nine days of questioning, an all-female jury has been chosen for the trial of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin.

Unusual selection process took nine days

The six women chosen will be sequestered

Five of the six women are white

SANFORD, Fla. — After nine days of questioning, a jury has been chosen for the trial of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin.

The jury of six women will decide whether Zimmerman, 29, is guilty of murdering Trayvon, 17, in a case that captured the nation's attention last year.

"This is probably as critical if not more critical than the evidence," Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, said Thursday aabout settling on the jurors.

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. The neighborhood watch volunteer says he killed the teen in self-defense after being attacked. Prosecutors say he profiled and murdered Martin.

After jury selection, Circuit Judge Debra Nelson reconvened a hearing on whether voice experts will be allowed to testify about who was heard during a neighbor's 911 call screaming that night. The judge said she expected to rule Friday.

O'Mara said Zimmerman was pleased that a jury had been selected. "He's been waiting to clear his name for 15 to 16 months," he said. "It's been a long time coming."

An attorney for Trayvon's parents said the family also was pleased with the jury being seated.

"This case is about equal justice and equal justice is not a black value, it's not a white value, it's an American value," said Natalie Jackson. "As long as the jury does their duty, which is basing their verdict on the evidence presented in trial, then we feel good about this case. We believe the evidence is overwhelming that George Zimmerman should be convicted."

In an unusually involved process, an initial group of 211 people filled out juror questionnaires, which were then read by lawyers and the judge. They chose who would make it to the next round for individual questioning in open court.

Only after questioning 58 people about their exposure to coverage of the case did lawyers narrow the group to 40 people for traditional juror questioning.

O'Mara and Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda both said they wanted to make sure someone who had already reached a conclusion about Zimmerman's guilt or innocence would not make the cut. Such a "stealth juror," they said, would hurt both sides.

"It's devastating to the case to have a juror who has an agenda," O'Mara said. Such a rogue juror, he said, would cause people to lose faith in the system.

On Thursday, O'Mara questioned the remaining 40 potential jurors about what they thought of Florida's stand-your-ground law, claiming self-defense and taking the law into your own hands.

O'Mara told the prospective jurors that they could not make a decision out of sympathy and would have to be comfortable finding Zimmerman not guilty despite the loss to Trayvon's family.

On Wednesday, de la Rionda spent nearly six hours questioning more than a dozen jurors about several topics, including whether it is right to judge people based on their clothing and race and whether people should take the law into their own hands.

"We are here to seek justice," de la Rionda said to the group. "This is your opportunity to live the Constitution."

Laying a foundation for his arguments, de la Rionda told potential jurors that circumstantial evidence is just as good as direct evidence and that experts sometimes disagree.

Legal experts have said that the racial makeup of the jury would be a key factor for both sides. Five of the six women are white. They also said people's views on law enforcement, self-defense and the use of firearms would be important.

"With the jury being all women, the defense may have a difficult time having the jurors truly understand their defense, that George Zimmerman was truly in fear for his life," said Florida criminal defense attorney Elizabeth Parker, a former prosecutor. "Women are gentler than men by nature and don't have the instinct to confront trouble head-on."

She added that women are more emotional than men and that could benefit the prosecution.

The alternates are two men and two women.

She said, "Trayvon Martin's mother and father will be sitting in the courtroom, and these jurors will see them every day, knowing that their son was shot and killed, knowing that the decision rests in their hands."

Last week, Nelson ruled that the jurors will be sequestered, housed as a group away from their families and friends. They will have limited contact with loved ones and limited access to the Internet. They will not be allowed to discuss the case with family members or friends or on the Internet.

"While a large population of the country might watch this trial, the final six jurors' opinion of the case are the only ones that matter," said Randy Reep, a defense attorney based in Jacksonville. "It would be impossible to overstate how critical the jurors are to the trial."

Shawn Vincent, a spokesman for Zimmerman's attorney, said opening statements are likely to be heard Monday.