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Half of jury now selected for Skakel trial

Skakel is a nephew of Ethel Kennedy, widow of Sen. Robert Kennedy.

NORWALK, Connecticut (CNN) -- With the seating of two jurors Wednesday, half of the jury for Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel's murder trial has now been selected.

Two men who appeared to be in their 40s were chosen, bringing the total to eight. Twelve jurors and four alternates must be selected before testimony begins May 7.

The trial itself is expected to last about five weeks.

Skakel, now 41, has been charged with bludgeoning his neighbor Martha Moxley to death with a golf club October 30, 1975. They were both 15 years old at the time, but Skakel is being tried as an adult for the murder.

One of the jurors chosen Wednesday, a regional director for a restaurant chain, was asked by defense attorney Mickey Sherman his opinion of the O.J. Simpson case. The man said he thought Simpson was guilty but that the verdict in the case was "a result of the inadequate handling of the case by the police."

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Sherman accepted the man for the jury.

During the voir dire process, during which both prosecution and defense can question potential jurors individually, Sherman has asked about opinions of high-profile cases like Simpson's. "Do you think defense lawyers like me use smoke and mirrors to get their rich clients off the hook?" Sherman has asked.

Most of the potential jurors have answered no.

State's Attorney Jonathan Benedict has asked potential jurors whether they have a problem with the age of the case and whether they could convict Skakel based on circumstantial, not direct, evidence. At the heart of the prosecution's case are alleged confessions Skakel made to fellow residents of a drug rehab program he attended from 1978-80.

"What do you think about the fact that you will be deciding a case of a person who was 15 years old at the time of the offense?" Benedict has asked jurors.

One potential juror admitted Wednesday he thought Skakel had avoided prosecution until now because of the power and influence of the Kennedy family.

"Had the defendant been of a less wealthy background," the man said, "he might have faced prosecution at an earlier time." He was rejected as a juror for cause by Judge John Kavenewsky.

Skakel is a nephew of Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Sen. Robert Kennedy.

The second juror chosen Wednesday is a contractor with an interest in forensic science. He expressed some trepidation about serving as a juror, "because you're judging somebody's fate."

Of the jurors selected so far, four are men and four are women.