COUNTYWIDE : 141 in the Pool for Jury in King Case
The first round of jury questioning in the trial of four police officers accused in the Rodney G. King beating wrapped up in Simi Valley on Wednesday, and Judge Stanley M. Weisberg has asked a total of 141 potential jurors to return Friday morning for further evaluation.
Jury selection began Feb. 3 in the case, which was moved to Ventura County because of widespread publicity in Los Angeles. Attorneys on both sides of the case said they hope to have a jury chosen and start opening statements in the year-old case by late next week.
Two police radio dispatchers were excused Wednesday from the jury pool, including one woman employed by the Los Angeles Police Department who was dropped from the case after she said she was hurt by the large amount of public criticism that followed the March 3 beating.
She also said she was shocked after seeing a videotape of the police incident. “I never believed that they beat people to that extent,” she said.
Sgt. Stacey Koon and Officers Theodore J. Briseno, Laurence M. Powell and Timothy E. Wind have pleaded not guilty.
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