Jackson jury from diverse backgrounds
From Miguel Marquez and Dree De Clamecy
CNN
 |  Jackson waves to fans from inside his SUV as he leaves the courthouse Wednesday. |
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 Four men and eight women make up the jury in the Michael Jackson trial.
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SANTA MARIA, California (CNN) -- A 12-person jury has been chosen for Michael Jackson's trial on child molestation charges.
There are four men and eight women on the jury. The youngest is a 20-year-old man. The oldest is a woman, 79.
There are no African-Americans on the panel -- drawn from the county where Jackson lives. About 2 percent of the population of the county is African-American.
One Asian woman who lists Indonesian as her first language is on the jury. Questionnaires given to jurors did not ask about race.
The jurors are:
A 51-year-old woman who works as a computer programmer.A 22-year-old woman who is a physical therapy aide.A 62-year-old man who is a civil engineer.A 44-year-old woman who works in the Department of Social Services.A 63-year-old man who is retired.A 45-year-old woman who listed no job on her paperwork.A 79-year-old woman who is retired.A 21-year-old man who is a student.A 42-year-old woman who works as an education aide in special ed.A 50-year-old woman who is a horse trainer.A 39-year-old woman who is a clerk.A 20-year-old man who is an assistant head cashier.Most jurors told lawyers they enjoyed Jackson's music and were impressed by his career. Most also said they distrusted what they heard in the media, and very few had seen recent interviews with the pop star.
One juror's ex-husband is a police officer. Another juror said her sister was raped when the sister was 12. When asked if that would prevent her from being on the jury, she responded, "Hell no."
The 79-year-old juror is a great-grandmother whose grandson had to register as a sex offender. She told lawyers she feels the experience will help her be fair to Jackson.
The youngest juror told the court his sister and her boyfriend had visited Jackson's sprawling Neverland estate.
The horse trainer said she was surprised by Jackson's size. She described him as a small man with lots of energy.
The 21-year-old student is a paraplegic, paralyzed in the lower half of his body, who said he wants to be a motor sports reporter. He said he visited Neverland with a United Cerebral Palsy group when he was in the sixth grade.
Wednesday's announcement that a jury had been seated was a surprise. Jury selection began January 31 with hundreds of prospective jurors. Analysts believed that picking a jury would extend into March.
Prosecutors and lawyers for Jackson must still select eight alternate jurors.
The jury selection process was interrupted for one week after the death of the sister of Jackson's lead attorney, Thomas Mesereau Jr., and for a week when Jackson became ill and was hospitalized for the flu. He was released last week.
Jackson is accused of molesting a 13-year-old former cancer patient, giving the boy alcohol and attempting to hold him and his family captive.
The pop star has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
