UPDATE (6:27 PM) -- Opening statements will begin Thursday.
UPDATE (5:58 PM) -- Jury duty is complete. The judge is starting the process of swearing in.
#BREAKING: Jury for the Rodgers trial is selected and they are about to swear them in. There will be 12 jury members, with 2 alternates.
— Sandra Rodriguez (@SandraR_media) October 8, 2019
UPDATE (2:45 PM) -- Questions to potential jurors Tuesday reveal that Curtis Wright will testify in the murder trail against his accused accomplice, Jimmy Rodgers.
Wright has already taken a plea deal to cooperate the case in exchange for a 25-year prison sentence. Prosecuters say Mark Sievers hired Wright and Rodgers to kill Teresa Sievers in their home.
As the pool of 43 potential jurors were being questioned during phase 3 of the selection process on Tuesday, very specific questions were being asked of them.
One of the questions was "In this case, a witness will testify who participated in the crime. (Curtis Wright) Is there someone who says I simply cannot listen to someone who has entered a plea deal testify?"
They also asked "There will be photos of the crime scene. Some do have blood, and you might see the murder victim in those photos. Is there anyone who says they cannot look at them?But while others grew into careers in law enforcement, Guercio's disabilities left him on the outside looking in"
#NEW: now in the 3rd phase of jury selection for Rodgers’ trial. 41 potential jurors remain, aside from the 7 sent home who remain on call. State names their witnesses, and its over 70 people.
— Sandra Rodriguez (@SandraR_media) October 8, 2019
UPDATE (2 PM)
-- The 7 remaining potential jurors from 2nd phase have been sent home and asked to return at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, unless they get a phone call to NOT return. The Judge says this is to try and expedite the process.------------------------------------------
UPDATE (12:30 PM) -- Phase three of juror questioning is almost set to begin.
MORNING RECAP: Questioning for the pool of 43 potential jurors ready for 3rd phase is expected to begin this afternoon. Judge will consider over lunch releasing the remaining 7 potential jurors of 2nd phase but will ask them to remain on call if needed Thursday.
— Sandra Rodriguez (@SandraR_media) October 8, 2019
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FORT MYERS, Fla. -- More than a dozen people will be in a Lee County courtroom Tuesday for the next phase of jury selection for the Jimmy Rodgers trial.
Defense tells potential juror that mitigation during a penalty phase can be anything that a juror finds has the weight of life. An example used: “I like the way he smiled at his mother.”
— Sandra Rodriguez (@SandraR_media) October 8, 2019
TRIALDAY6: Jury selection continues for the Jimmy Rodgers trial. First potential juror questioned today has been excused. “I’m catholic and the death penalty goes against my religion,” she said, adding that at her age it’s a difficult decision to make. pic.twitter.com/d5d8kU9tAJ
— Sandra Rodriguez (@SandraR_media) October 8, 2019
Rodgers and Mark Sievers are waiting to go on trial for the murder of Sievers' wife, Teresa.
In addition to the 13 potential jurors that lawyers will question on Tuesday, nearly 40 others will also be ready to go into phase three of selection process.
And we're learning a little more about the people who will decide their fate. What the potential jurors do for a living is having an impact on whether they can serve on the jury.
For example, this is how things broke down among the latest batch of potential jurors on Monday: A teacher who might not be able to take off several weeks for the trial was excused.
But other folks were kept in the jury pool for now, including business owners, two people who are retired, a store clerk and a sports specialist.
RELATED COVERAGE:
Jimmy Rodgers trial Day 5: More potential jurors get questioned
Why do death penalty trials take so long?
Jimmy Rodgers murder trial Day 4: The search for impartial jurors continues
Sievers murder trial Day 3 -- Jury selection expected to continue into next week
Sievers murder trial Day 2 updates: Jury selection continues
What happened to the Sievers home in the years since Teresa's murder?
Teresa Sievers murder trial updates: Day 1
Photos: Teresa Sievers crime scene (Graphic)
A deeper look at the suspects in Sievers murder
Remembering murdered Bonita Springs doctor Teresa Sievers
Judge approves two separate murder trials for Teresa Sievers murder
Death penalty cases in Florida cost taxpayers millions
Mark Sievers pleads not guilty in court
Bonita Springs home where woman was found murdered is sold at auction
Mark Sievers loses parental rights of daughters
