Jurors were asked if they could endure public scrutiny that may be equal to that faced by jurors in the O.J. Simpson and Scott Peterson trials, and their responses were mixed. Some jurors said they would rather not be on the jury under those circumstances and others said they could handle it.
Defense attorney M. Gerald Schwartzbach told each juror, "This is a case with media coverage, much like O.J. Simpson's or Scott Peterson's cases. Many people were critical of the jury in O.J. Simpson's case and many cheered when the jury convicted Scott Peterson."
Blake Free on Bail
He then asked jurors how they would feel about reporters writing about them as a juror.Blake has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and two counts of solicitation of murder for the shooting death of Bonny Lee Bakley outside a restaurant where the couple had just dined May 4, 2001. Blake, who is now 71, has been free on $1.5 million bail, but confined to his home.
Jury selection in the case in expected to continue for weeks. Some 217 prospective jurors were called to court Monday, but 140 of them were immediately dismissed due to answers they provided on written questionnaires.
