Jury Selection Begins in Nesler Murder Trial

Jury selection opened Tuesday in the murder trial of Ellie Nesler, the Gold Country mother who brought a gun into court and shot a man who faced charges of molesting her son.

Nesler waved to supporters as she walked into the courtroom and laughed as a bailiff checked her for weapons with a metal-detecting wand. She told reporters during a lunch break that she felt upbeat but nervous.

“Our greatest hope is that we will get a fair jury, not persons that have prejudged the case and believe Ellie is a vigilante,” Tony Serra, Nesler’s lawyer, said before the opening session.

Scores of prospective jurors filled out questionnaires Tuesday.

Tuolumne County Superior Court Judge William G. Polley, noting the case’s highly charged nature, warned lawyers for both sides not to discuss the trial in front of any potential jurors.

Prosecutors had asked the judge to impose a gag order preventing attorneys from discussing the case publicly. The judge issued a temporary gag order and said at the close of proceedings Tuesday he intended to make it permanent.