Updated 7:30 p.m.:
Eleven jurors were selected Tuesday to hear the first-degree murder case against Seth Fontenot.
Jury selection continues Wednesday morning.
Twelve jurors and two alternates will be chosen to hear the case.Updated 4:40 p.m.:
Three jurors have been seated in the first-degree murder case against Seth Fontenot. They include one white woman, 47, of Scott; a white man, 35, of Lafayette; and a black woman, 48, of Lafayette.
They are part of the original 50 potential jurors questioned today.
There are 17 remaining out of the original 50, and they’re being questioned this afternoon.Updated 12:45 p.m.:
Jury selection in the first-degree murder trial of Seth Fontenot is proceeding slowly today.
By 12:05 p.m., when court adjourned for lunch, 16 potential jurors had survived the first round of questioning today.
Around 10:20 a.m. today, about 45 of the 50 potential jurors in courtroom 4B indicated they had heard something about the case. As a result, both attorneys, Fontenot and Judge Edward Rubin are interviewing each individually and in private.
It’s a slow and tedious process.
The 16 who survived questioning so far include seven white women, five white men, three black women and one black man.
Of the 50 brought into courtroom 4B, about 16 have not yet been interviewed.
Fontenot, now 20, is accused of shooting and killing 15-year-old Austin Rivault in February 2013 and injuring two others that he thought were breaking into his truck.Original story:
Jury selection is underway in the Seth Fontenot murder trial.
At 10:20 a.m., 50 prospective jurors were brought in. They were asked how many of them had heard of the Fontenot case. By a show of hands, around 45 of the 50 said they had heard of it.
The prospective jurors are now being called one at a time into a conference room with attorneys from both sides, Fontenot, and 15th Judicial District Judge Edward Rubin. They are being questioned as to how much they know about the case.
As of 10:45, around 10 jurors had been called in, and five of them had been asked to stay.
Before the trial can proceed, they will need 12 jurors and at least one alternate.
