Prosecutors and defense attorneys in the retrial of Jason Young seated the final alternate juror in the case Wednesday, ending a lengthy selection process that included the dismissal of two jurors.
Young, 37, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his pregnant wife, Michelle Young, who was found beaten to death in their home just south of Raleigh on Nov. 3, 2006.
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He was arrested in December 2009 and went to trial in June, but a jury of seven men and five women failed to reach a unanimous verdict, forcing a judge to declare a mistrial.
It took attorneys 12 days – about seven days longer than in the first trial – to seat eight women and four men on the jury, as well as two men and two women as alternate jurors.
Last week, Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens dismissed a male juror after concerns that he was posting on a message board about the case.
Stephens dismissed a second juror on Tuesday after someone allegedly heard him talking about the case at a Garner restaurant.
Opening statements are expected Monday. Testimony, which lasted 11 days in the first trial, is expected to last anywhere from four to six weeks, attorneys have said.
Young has denied any involvement in his wife's death, saying he was out of town at the time of the crime. Defense attorneys suggested in the first trial that possibly two other people were responsible for Michelle Young's death.