POSTED AT 12:00 AM ON Oct. 4, 2006 | PRINT | Email | SHARE | COMMENTS (0)

The three jury alternates selected Monday morning for the murder trial of John R. Myers II will not be named until the jury begins deliberations, the Morgan County Superior Court said Tuesday.

The defense and prosecution both agreed that all 15 jurors will listen to testimony in the case involving the death of IU student Jill Behrman, who disappeared during a morning bike ride in May 2000. The final 12 members of the jury will be selected by the court after all the evidence has been presented in the trial.

The decision will most likely be made by Judge Christopher Burnham, along with the attorneys for both sides, said David Remondini, counsel to the chief justice of the Indiana Supreme Court.

During this time, the jury will be sequestered with security in nearby local lodgings.

The all-white jury with alternates is comprised of eight men and seven women, most of whom are married. The average age of the jury members is 39, with the youngest being 23 years old.

Five of the jurors have been through college, and most have trade school and high school degrees. The group ranges from those in the manufacturing and medical fields to single parents, divorcees and entrepreneurs.

All the jurors will be referred to by number throughout the trial, and information regarding their identities will only be disclosed to the public with their permission after the trial is concluded.

Myers pleaded not guilty to the charge of murdering of Behrman, after a grand jury indicted him in April. The grand jury was formed in March after hunters found her remains in Morgan County in 2003. Police began narrowing in on Myers in December 2004.

The trial begins Oct. 16 and is expected to last for three to four weeks, running through Saturdays as well. The court has said there are more than 100 potential witnesses who could be called, among them WXIN Fox 59 reporter Kim King of Indianapolis.