Eight Jurors Picked In Bill Cosby Trial In Montgomery County

NORRISTOWN, PA — The jury for the impending Bill Cosby trial in Montgomery County is quickly being formed, as eight members of the 12-person panel that will decide the former comedian's fate have already been selected. According to media reports inside the courtroom in Allegheny County, all eight of these jurors that have already been selected are white.

Jurors are being selected from a pool of 100 candidates from Allegheny County, a largely white suburb of Pittsburgh, after the defense attempted to have the trial moved due to what they claimed would be unfair bias against Cosby in the Philadelphia region.

According to the New York Times, finding impartiality in the jurors has been increasingly difficult for Judge Steven T. O'Neill: on Monday 80 of the 100 jurors said they had heard about the case, while more than than a third said they had already formed an opinion about Cosby's guilt or innocence.

Five of the jurors selected are men, and three are women, according to the Times Herald.

O'Neill is seeking a total of 18 jurors, which includes the 12 on the panel, and six alternates that will sit through the duration of the trial and serve if needed.

>>Bill Cosby Grants First Interview In Years Weeks Before Trial

Just last week, Cosby granted his first interview in two years, which coincided with the release of a series of tapes featuring his daughters interviewing him about Philadelphia and his childhood. When the interviewer, XM Radio Host Michael Smerconish, asked Cosby if he hoped the tapes would be heard by jurors, Cosby demurred, saying only "You can't aim at jurors."

Cosby and his daughters also alleged that race had played a role in the way Cosby's case had been handled by the justice system.

The jury panel is expected to be chosen in full by the end of the week.

The trial is set to begin on June 5.

Image via Montgomery County District Attorney's Office