Trayvon Martin killer George Zimmerman trial jury to be sequestered: Judge - New York Daily News

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[h=4]POOL/REUTERS[/h] [h=4]George Zimmerman listens to the proceedings during the fourth day of jury selection.[/h]
The jury that will decide the fate of the neighborhood watchman charged with killing Trayvon Martin will be cut off from the rest of the world during the trial.
Judge Debra Nelson announced she would sequester the jury hearing the racially-charged case against George Zimmerman as the prosecutors and defense attorneys continued to vet potential jurors Thursday.

[h=4]Pool/Getty Images[/h] [h=4]Sybrina Fulton (L) and Tracy Martin (2nd L). the parents of slain teen Trayvon Martin, sit with their attorney Benjamin Crump during jury selection.[/h]
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“The parties have, both sides have, stipulated that this trial will last between two and four weeks,” Nelson said. “Based upon that approximate stipulation, I will be sequestering the jury."

[h=4]Pool/Getty Images[/h] [h=4]George Zimmerman (L) sits with jury consultant Robert Hirschhor (C) and defense attorney Mark O'Mara during jury selection.[/h]
Nelson had ruled earlier that the jury ould be anonymous but declined to have them sequestered.
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[h=4]Jacob Langston/AP[/h] [h=4]Shelly Zimmerman, wife of George Zimmerman, listens during jury selection.[/h]
So far about 20 people have made the first cut after four days of jury selection, including three African-Americans.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys are seeking a pool of 30 people that will be whittled down to six jurors and four alternates.

[h=4]Jacob Langston/AP[/h] [h=4]Sybrina Fulton, left, and Tracy Martin, center, the parents of slain teen Trayvon Martin, and their attorney Benjamin Crump, second from right, listen during jury selection.[/h]
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The jury in the sensational Casey Anthony case was also sequestered, but it’s rare that a panel is locked down for a second-degree murder trial.

[h=4]Jacob Langston/AP[/h] [h=4]Defense attorney Mark O'Mara questions a prospective juror on the fourth day of George Zimmerman's trial.[/h]
Then again, this is no ordinary second-degree murder trial.
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[h=4]Jacob Langston/AP[/h] [h=4]Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda questions a potential juror in Seminole circuit court during George Zimmerman's trial.[/h]
Zimmerman fatally shot Martin in February 2012 while the 17-year-old was walking to his dad’s girlfriend’s home in a gated community outside Orlando from a 7-Eleven.
The case attracted national attention and outrage after Sanford police refused at first to charge Zimmerman for killing the unarmed black teenager.
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Prosecutors contend Zimmerman, a 29-year-old wannabe cop, profiled Martin and began following him even after a police dispatcher told him to stand down.
Zimmerman’s lawyers claim he shot the teenager with a licensed handgun in self-defense.
If convicted, Zimmeran faces life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty and remains free on $1 million bail.
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