18 Jurors Excused in Denny Case : Courts: One prospect says recent sentencing of two police officers in King beating would affect his judgment. The dismissals underscore the difficult process of finding a panel.

On the second day of questioning of prospective jurors in the Reginald O. Denny beating trial, 18 panelists were excused Monday, including one man who said he would have difficulty judging the case because of the recent sentencing of two police officers convicted of beating Rodney G. King.

The juror would only say that the sentencing of the two LAPD officers last week to 2 1/2 years in federal prison had a “profound” effect on him.

The juror was excused from serving on the panel by Superior Court Judge John Ouderkirk.

Earlier, Ouderkirk excused another juror who questioned why the police officers involved in the King beating were ever tried in the first place. “I was surprised it even went to court,” the juror said.

The dismissal of the two jurors underscored the difficult process of finding a panel of 12 impartial jurors in light of the enormous publicity and controversy surrounding the case. The two defendants, Henry Keith Watson and Damian Monroe Williams, have been charged with numerous felony counts in connection with attacks on motorists at Florence and Normandie avenues last year.

Defense and prosecution attorneys have moved slowly through the pool of about 130 prospective jurors since oral questioning began Friday. So far, about 53 prospective jurors, known only by numbers to conceal their identities, have been excused for a variety of reasons, including personal hardship, religious beliefs and biases.

The group of excused jurors Monday included one man who said he had been arrested for attempted murder during the 1965 Watts riots. The charges, he said, were dismissed.

The man said he could be fair in judging the Denny beating case. Ouderkirk granted a prosecution request to excuse the man.