Jury selection completed for Behrman trial

Twelve jurors and three alternates were selected Monday for the trial of John R. Myers II of Ellettsville, who is charged with the murder of IU student Jill Behrman.\nMyers, 30, was indicted by a grand jury in April on charges of murder for the death of 19-year-old Jill Behrman, who disappeared in May 2000 during a morning bike ride. The court has not yet released any information regarding Myers' connection to Jill Behrman's death in this tightly sealed case.\nJill Behrman's remains were discovered near rural Paragon, Ind., by hunters in 2003.\nAll 12 jurors and one alternate were selected by noon from a pool of about 40 people, one quarter of the candidates who were asked to show up for jury selection. The afternoon session wrapped up at 3:30 p.m. after two more alternates were selected.\nThe answering machine at the Morgan County Circuit Court told candidates for jury selection that they no longer needed to report Tuesday.\nAll of the potential jurors required to appear at the Morgan County Courthouse this week were pre-screened after filling out an extensive questionnaire sent out in the local mail to about 360 area residents. \nDavid Remondini, counsel to the chief justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, said the selection process moved quickly because of the advance questionnaire's help.\n"In trials where there are advance questionnaires sent out -- as in this trial -- based on the answers provided, attorneys in the case can weed through a lot of issues more quickly," he said in a phone interview Monday. \nThe questionnaire asked jury candidates to answer questions ranging from name and date of birth to questions regarding their relationships with the local court of law and Myers himself. This made it easier for defense attorney Patrick Baker and Morgan County Prosecutor Steve Sonnega to narrow the pool down to the final 12. \nThe selected jurors will be sequestered for the entire trial, which could last up to four weeks, including Saturdays. During this time they will not be exposed to any newspapers, magazines, television or other forms of news, and all contacts with the outside world will be monitored. Morgan County will pay for all meals and lodging, and recreational activities and outings will be arranged for jurors as needed.\nJill Behrman's parents were in attendance Monday after being invited to the jury selection by the court.\nMarilyn Behrman said she was pleased with the way the pre-trial process has been progressing. \n"I was really glad we were invited to be there," she said. "I'm interested in how the process works (and) to see who the jurors will be.\n"To be at this point, with a trial date -- that's a huge step," she said. \nThe trial is set to begin Oct. 16 in Martinsville.