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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Jury selection began Monday in the three-week public trial for the murder of the man accused of intentionally driving his car into a group of people at the Unite the Right rally. 2017 in Charlottesville.
James Fields Jr. is charged with first degree murder and other crimes after investigators said they hit his Dodge Charger in a group of counter-protestors, killing Heather Heyer and injuring many others, at the gathering of white nationalists.
Fields rushed Monday in front of a judge dressed in a suit and pleaded not guilty to the murder count as well as other charges, including serious aggravated wounds, malicious wounds and fictitious shots and wounds.
A group of 28 jurors was selected from over 100 Monday. The judge announced that 16 jurors would hear the case. Four of these jurors will be substitutes to fill if necessary.
James Alex Fields Jr.
Legal Analyst: It can be difficult to find an impartial jury
Legal analysts said the biggest challenge for the trial would be to convene an impartial jury.
"The jurors can have an agenda and you have to be careful and make sure that they answer the questions correctly," said legal analyst Scott Goodman. "You could have jurors with an ulterior motive and might want to sit on the jury either hang up the jury or make sure Mr. Fields is convicted."
Fields, who has pleaded not guilty to murder and accusations of malicious wounds, risk life imprisonment in the state trial.
Suspect faces 30 counts of federal hate crimes in separate trial
Fields faces 30 counts of hate crimes by the federal government. On July 5, he pleaded not guilty to these charges in federal court.
During this hearing, Fields told the judge that he was being treated by a doctor for his bipolar disorder, his anxiety, his depression and his ADHD.
Fields risk the death penalty for one of the federal charges.
Heyer's mother: "Grief prevents me"
Susan Bro, Heather Heyer's mother, said tears came to her eyes when Fields pleaded not guilty in July.
"I had a slight hope that he could recognize his guilt," said Bro at the time. "I'm always a little surprised when I look at him, he does not look horrified or shocked."
Bro, who attended almost all of Field's hearings, compared the loss of his daughter to an amputation.
"It's like losing an arm or a leg. I am learning to live with amputation; I do not like it, but I'm learning to deal with it, "Bro said in July. "At home, I cry sometimes. Frankly, sometimes grief makes me incapable.
CBS 6 News will have a crew in Charlottesville for the procedure. Stay on WTVR.com and watch CBS 6 News for updates on this story in development.
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