From a pool of 370 potential jurors, who went to the trouble of filling out a 30-page questionnaire (it' beats work. And it's the law), 12 chosen souls have been sworn in as jurors for Michael Jackson's manslaughter trial.
Following the singer's death on June 25th back in 2009, prosecutors (and many members of the Jackson family) have claimed Dr. Conrad Murray caused Jackson's death by administering the powerful anaesthetic propofol as a "sleep" aid at his L.A. home, and then not properly monitoring him.
Sky News were on hand (naturally) to report the following: "The panel of seven men and five women includes one man who said he briefly met Jackson when he worked at Walt Disney Co in the 1980s and the singer was starring in a Captain EO film that was a Disney theme park attraction. That juror has told lawyers he can approach the trial fairly (??) The jurors have a wide range of professions, including a bookseller, school bus driver, paralegal and professor, according to questionnaires released after the selection. Half of the panellists selected are Caucasian and five Hispanic. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor limited the amount of time lawyers for both sides could question potential jurors - and one prosecutor likened the process to 'speed dating'." See, now that sounds like fun. Exactly what you would expect from a Hollywood manslaughter trial.
If found guilty, Murray faces a maximum sentence of four years in jail.
The trial starts tomorrow.
