Behrman jury summoned

A judge summoned more than 300 people to the Morgan County Courthouse on Friday, marking the beginning of the jury selection process for the trial of the 2000 murder of then-IU student Jill Behrman. John R. Myers II, 30, of Ellettsville, was indicted for the crime in April. \nThe trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 16 and will run through Saturdays to expedite the process. \nThe extensive screening process included a 16-page questionnaire potential jurors were required to fill out. \nSuperior Court Judge Chris Burnham asked how much the prospective jurors knew about the case through local or national news coverage and he also read the grand jury indictment to the candidates.\nThe questionnaire included inquiries regarding conflicts with moral, religious and political beliefs, as well as time availability and medical conditions. One full-page question, which was whited-out for the media due to its connection to the confidential grand jury investigation, asked potential jurors if they knew or were related to a list of potential witnesses.\nMembers of the jury and alternates will be sequestered together for the duration of the trial to ensure jury integrity, which could last up to four weeks, according to the questionnaire. Morgan County will pay for all meals and lodging, and recreational activities and outings will be arranged for jurors as needed.\nThe potential jurors were informed they would be contacted within the next two to three weeks if they need to appear for jury selection Oct. 2 and 3. The candidates were ordered not to read or listen to any media regarding the trial. In addition, the judge ordered potential jurors not to try to do any of their own "investigating" in regards to the case, under penalty of being held in contempt of court. \nBehrman disappeared May 31, 2000, after she went for a morning bicycle ride in the Bloomington area. Her parents, IU employees Eric and Marilyn Behrman, reported her missing that day but searchers only recovered her bike. Two years later, in 2003, hunters found Behrman's skeletal remains in rural Morgan County, in a wooded area near Paragon, Ind. \nIn March 2002, police and FBI thought they had a break in the case when local resident Wendy Owings confessed that she, along with two friends, Alisha Sowders and Uriah Clouse, had accidentally hit Behrman with their truck, wrapped her body in plastic and dumped her in Salt Creek, which was subsequently drained in the search for her. After the discovery of Behrman's body in Morgan County, Owings recanted her statement.\nJohn Myers became a person of interest for the Indiana State Police in December 2004. Many of the details of the grand jury investigation, which include interviews with over 90 witnesses, remain sealed.