San Angelo, Texas » Attorneys in the trial of Merril Leroy Jessop, 35, a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who faces charges of sexual assault of a child, finished general questioning of potential jurors Monday and began the lengthier process of questioning them one-by-one to seat a jury.

Early Monday morning, Jessop stood in line outside the Tom Green County Courthouse with people who will decide his fate as the jury selection process began.

Wearing a blue jacket, tan pants, boots and an American flag tie, he blended in with the crowd, which began assembling at 8 a.m. The last juror squeezed into the courtroom at about 9:45 a.m.

"They had us in there like sardines," one said.

One court official said the room, filled also with law enforcement personnel and lawyers, was about 30 people over capacity. Media members were not allowed in when the jurors first arrived.

Others in the crowd included military service personnel, a candidate for the San Angelo City Council and a Tom Green County commissioner.

About a dozen people were excused from jury duty before noon.

In the afternoon, with the potential jurors all inside for the general voir dire, as the questioning is called, the crowd stayed attentive to lead defense attorney Dan Hurley's presentation.

Hurley began his statement with reasons why innocent people go to jail. He included an image of the signing of the Constitution and ended with questions as to whether prospective jurors knew certain witnesses or had issues with the process.

Nine people, for instance, said they had issues regarding their religion, and more than 100 said they would have trouble giving probation for the crime as part of the sentence.

"You're telling us what is in your heart," Hurley said.

Eric Nichols, the lead prosecutor with the Texas Office of the Attorney General, began by laying out the elements of sexual assault and defining the state's burden of proof.

Nichols went over the enhancement clause of the indictment against Jessop. The enhancement says that if the accused is prohibited from marrying or living with the victim under the appearance of marriage, the felony becomes a first-degree felony, punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

After the general voir dire, 51st District Judge Barbara Walther divided up the potential jurors and told the groups to return at certain times. Twenty-one stayed for individual questioning for the rest of the evening.

Proceedings continue Tuesday.