Jury selection under way in Poutre case

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A judge says several potential jurors for the Massachusetts abuse case against 14-year-old Haleigh Poutre's stepfather are not impartial enough to be chosen.

The Boston Globe said with the abuse trial entering its second day of jury selection on Thursday, Hampden County Superior Judge Judd Carhart has already dismissed more than five dozen potential jurors for not being impartial.

Many of the prospective jurors admitted Wednesday they had heard enough of the abuse case from the media that they are already prepared to convict Poutre's stepfather, Jason Strickland.

Several other jurors were excused from jury duty due to scheduling complaints in relation to the trial's expected two to three week length.

Strickland is accused of allegedly beating Poutre at her home in Westfield, Mass., in 2005 to a point that the teenager was in a coma and nearly taken off life support.

The Globe said the 34-year-old's wife, Holli, was also accused in relation to the alleged beating, but she apparently committed suicide since the incident.