Komisarjevsky Jury Selection Hits 10-Week Mark

Jury selection for Joshua Komisarjevsky has gone on for exactly ten weeks today, but defense lawyers and prosecutors still have their work cut out for them.

Five alternate jurors and three backup alternates remain to be picked for the trial, which is scheduled to start on Sept. 19.

So far, Judge Jon C. Blue, the trial judge, has doggedly stuck to the schedule and denied several defense motions to move or delay the trial because of intense pretrial news coverage.

Komisarjevsky faces the death penalty for the Cheshire home invasion triple homicide in 2007. Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley and Michaela, were murdered when a kidnapping and robbery turned violent.

Twelve regular jurors and one alternate have been picked so far. Defense lawyers and prosecutors will return to court today to continue jury selection.