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Nichols jury selection nearing the end
October 28, 1997
Web posted at: 9:18 p.m. EST (0218 GMT)DENVER (CNN) -- The jury pool in the Oklahoma City bombing trial of Terry Nichols could be filled by Wednesday, and opening statements could be given by Monday.
The pool of "death penalty qualified" potential jurors grew to 67 by the end of Tuesday.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Matsch is expected to require 70 potential jurors for the pool before a final panel of 12 jurors and six alternates can be selected.
Those 70 potential jurors could be gathered at the courthouse Thursday for the final selection and then given Friday to get their lives organized for a trial that could possibly last months.
Prosecutor Larry Mackey has said that Monday will likely be the day for opening statements in the trial.
Seven potential jurors were interviewed Tuesday, but two were quickly dismissed because of health and schedule problems.
A woman was dismissed after she told Matsch that she had been injured in a car crash and suffered a back problem that would not allow her to sit for long periods of time.
A second potential juror, an attorney who said he had a criminal trial starting next week and several more cases coming up in the next month, also was dismissed.
A retired high school chemistry teacher, the last prospective juror questioned Tuesday, said he would "want two eyewitnesses to the crime" before he voted to impose a death penalty. He later said he could be convinced only on circumstantial evidence.
Federal law requires that a juror be able to consider a death sentence and remain open to the possibility of a life sentence.
One woman questioned Tuesday said she was not sure there was enough evidence to convict Nichols' co-defendant, Timothy McVeigh, of the bombing. She also said she doubted the death penalty was effective because of the time it takes to be carried out.
Nichols is accused of murder and conspiracy in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The blast killed 168 people and injured hundreds more. McVeigh was convicted in June on the same charges and was sentenced to death.
T H E B O M B I N G / C N N S T O R I E S / L I N K S
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