Jury selection continued Thursday in the trial of the widow of a man who fatally shot 49 people and injured dozens more in a 2016 attack at a Florida nightclub.
The case hinges on whether Noor Salman knowingly helped her husband, Omar Mateen, plan the attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. She faces charges of aiding the support of a foreign terrorist organization resulting in death and obstruction of justice.
After six days of jury selection, 47 -- 26 women and 21 men -- of the necessary 56 people have been admitted to the jury pool.
Many people who were questioned Thursday were excused, including a woman who said she would lose pay from her employer and a woman who said she must care for her mother.
A 20-year U.S. Army veteran who works in top-secret intelligence for the federal government said he wouldn't be able to set aside his personal views if he were selected to serve as a juror.
"I would view her as a terrorist," he said. "I don’t know why she’s being tried in civilian court instead of military court."
The judge quickly dismissed him.
A man who was admitted to the jury pool Thursday said he took the LSAT in October and is applying for law school.
A woman who seemed she would be admitted to the jury pool told the judge that she has a gay relative and doesn't feel that she could remain impartial.
"What the Constitution requires is that we do our very best to be fair -- no matter what kind of allegations there are, no matter how high-profile or media-intensive (a case) is," defense attorney Linda Moreno told Channel 9 Thursday.
Earlier this week, Salman's attorneys filed a motion seeking to prevent prosecutors from including in their opening statements that Mateen targeted the LGBTQ community by attacking Pulse Orlando. The judge hasn't ruled on the motion.
Jury selection is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Friday. Opening statements are expected to begin Wednesday.
About the Author
