Finding an open mind

Lawyers selecting alternate jurors for the Phil Spector murder trial on Monday once again hit a recurring obstacle: a jury pool exposed to years of news reports on the case.

One prospective juror said she believes Spector is guilty and did not think she could keep an open mind. The juror said her opinion was influenced by Nancy Grace, an acerbic CNN crime show host who has said of Spector on her program "he's got mommy issues or wife issues or girl issues -- I don't care."

Of Grace, the juror said, "I love her, I love watching her. She interests me, like with her opinions and what she says." (She was removed from consideration this afternoon)

Another prospective juror said he concluded Spector was guilty after reading what he called biased coverage in the Los Angeles Times.

None of the possible alternate jurors was replaced before the mid-day break.

-Peter Y. Hong