US: Hundreds of prospective jurors in the high profile Kobe Bryant rape case turned up yesterday for jury selection in a trial of the star athlete that lawyers said is shaping up to be full of rancour.
Potential jurors arrived in groups throughout the day, causing traffic jams outside the courthouse in the small mountain town of Eagle, Colorado, whose population is 3,700.
They answered 82 questions on a form that is expected to be made public on Monday and which is aimed at weeding out unsuitable jurors. Some questions are personal, delving into whether potential jurors have been victims of sexual assault.
Media attorneys, in a filing made public yesterday, asked that portions of jury selection that do not concern intimate, personal subjects, be held in open court.
Prosecutors and defence lawyers will scrutinise the answers over the weekend and about 25 to 30 potential jurors will return each day from Monday until at least Wednesday for questioning behind closed doors. The final stage will involve more questioning in open court.
The 26-year-old bastketball player for the Los Angeles Laker is expected to be present for the entire jury selection process.
"Constitutionally, he has the right to be there for the voir dire [juror examination]. He has a right to a jury of his peers," state court spokeswoman Ms Karen Salaz told reporters outside the courthouse. If convicted, Bryant could be jailed from four years to life and fined up to $750,000.
Court officials were so concerned about keeping the identity of jurors confidential that reporters were not allowed to approach them.