Start of trial of Renato Seabra only after October 4

My friends, this was taken from Jornal de Notícias newspaper:

http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Seguranca/Interior.aspx?content_id=2798936&page=-1

Start of trial of Renato Seabra only after October 4

The opening statements in the trial of the young Portuguese Renato Seabra, accused of the murder of columnist Carlos Castro in New York, should only take place after October 4, told Lusa defense and prosecution.

According to the office of Attorney Maxine Rosenthal and Defence lawyer David Touger, both parties continue to evaluate potential jurors, having chosen not to date any of the more than 12 individuals needed.

After the session on Friday, the case will be stopped on Monday and Tuesday, as the judge, Daniel Fitzgerald, has another trial.

It is anticipated that the process of selecting jurors continue on Wednesday and opening statements should not take place before Thursday, October 4, his office of Attorney Maxine Rosenthal.

This week, the judge asked potential jurors to fill out questionnaires and then dismissed them until this Friday, while the parties have reviewed the answers.

To start the trial is necessary for the defense and prosecution to choose 12 jurors, plus two to four alternates.

The process can take between a few days and up to two weeks, depending on the ease with which jurors are chosen.

The delivery of the case to a new judge of the Supreme Court of New York, Daniel Fitzgerald, implied a break in progress for the start of the trial.

The third judge to have on hand the case last week held meetings with defense and prosecution and have been acquainted with the process.

Daniel Fitzgerald received the case from the hands of Michael Obus, Chief Judge of the Supreme County of New York, who was responsible for the process of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

Charles Solomon, judge who followed the process from the beginning turned away before the pre-trial.

At the last hearing, Judge Michael Obus considered valid confession of murder of columnist Carlos Castro by Renato Seabra, whose cancellation was requested by the defense of the young Portuguese.

After hearing the two detectives in the Supreme Court of New York, one of the lusodescendente Michael Almeida, who extracted the confession, in Portuguese, in the psychiatric ward of a hospital, the judge ruled that all requirements were met.

After the hearing, defense attorney, David Touger said he was reassured by the decision, since the confession, where Seabra says he killed Castro to "release the demons" of homosexuality, turns out to support his thesis.

"His statement supports his defense," said attorney Lusa.

The thesis defense is that JJ can not be found guilty because he is in a state of mental disorder when he committed the crime.

The case dates back to January 7, 2011, when the body of Carlos Castro, 65, was found naked, with signs of violent assaults and mutilation of the genitals, in the hotel room he shared with Renato Seabra in Manhattan.

The young man still in prison Rikers Island, by decision of the criminal department of New York, medicated and subject to medical surveillance.