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Zimmerman jurors begin life in sequestration

zimmerman
Posted at 6:05 PM, Jun 23, 2013
and last updated 2013-06-23 14:11:11-04

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) - The jury in the George Zimmerman murder trial is beginning its sequestered life.

Sequestration started this weekend, with attorneys set to make opening statements Monday. The 28-year-old Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in last year's shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

The trial is expected to receive extensive media coverage, and the judge and attorneys don't want jurors exposed to it.

Court officials are mum on details, but past cases can provide examples. Jurors probably won't be allowed to read newspapers or access the Internet. They'll do almost everything as a group. In hotel rooms, TV news channels will be inaccessible, and landline telephones likely will be removed. Deputies will keep jurors' cellphones and give them back once a day for calls to loved ones and friends.