Two jurors were chosen and 16 other people were rejected Monday in the first day of jury selection in the trial of accused killer Juan Rivera.
The reasons the 16 prospective jurors were excused ranged from poor health to overzealous support of the death penalty to knowing the victim’s family.
Rivera, 21, is accused of raping and killing 11-year-old baby-sitter Holly Staker on Aug. 17, 1992, in a Waukegan apartment.
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Jury selection will continue Tuesday.
At that time, the selection of a chosen juror will be reconsidered. The juror recalled on the way home Monday that he knew someone connected with the case.
Rivera’s attorney, Henry Lazzaro, argued Monday that the jury pool should be tossed out because it included only three blacks and no Hispanics.
Rivera is Puerto Rican, and Lazzaro said his client should be tried by a jury more representative of Lake County’s population.
Judge Christopher Starck rejected Lazzaro’s motion for a new pool.