Jury selection continues in Fayetteville death penalty trial
Two more alternate jurors are needed before the death penalty trial of a man accused of raping and killing a 5-year-old Fayetteville girl can begin.
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Eight men and four women had been seated in the jury by late Tuesday, and the first of three alternates was selected Wednesday.
Earlier, eight potential jurors had been excused, including a woman who said her husband was a childhood friend of Mario McNeill, the 32-year-old accused of raping and killing Shaniya Davis in November 2009. Another potential juror was excused because he didn't tell prosecutors he was facing an assault on a female charge.
McNeill could face the death sentence if convicted of murder.
Shaniya's mother also faces charges that she sold her daughter to pay a drug debt. Antoinette Davis hasn't been tried yet.
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