Casey Anthony jury selection underway in Tampa area
(CBS/WFOR/WTSP) ORLANDO, Fla. - Jury selection in the trial of Casey Anthony is underway in Pinellas County near Tampa, Fla. Anthony is the Orlando-area mother accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee in a case that has garnered substantial media attention.
Pictures: Casey and Caylee Anthony, Personal Photos
The trial itself will be held in an Orange County courtroom, but jury selection will be conducted inside the Pinellas County Criminal Justice Center in Clearwater, reports CBS affiliate WTSP.
Judge Belvin Perry has indicated the Orlando area has been so saturated by news coverage of the case that it's too difficult to find a jury of
people there who have yet to make up their minds. Court officials in Orlando didn't announce the location of the jury selection until early Monday because of the intense media attention.
Jurors selected in the case will have to put their lives on hold for almost two months. They will be transported to Orlando and sequestered at a hotel. The estimated cost is $300,000.
"I'm not naive enough to think we'll encounter no one who has heard of this case," LeRoy Pernell, dean of the Florida A&M University College of Law in Orlando, told CBS affiliate WFOR. "But the goal is to find people who have not been oversaturated with media."
Anthony, 25, could face the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder. She also is charged with aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and providing false information to law enforcement. She has pleaded not guilty and maintains a baby-sitter kidnapped Caylee.
The Casey Anthony case was recently reported on by "48 Hours Mystery."