Update 4 p.m.: A jury has been seated in the Barry Bonds steroids perjury trial. U.S. District Court Judge Susan Ilston congratulated the eight women and four men and told them to be in court at 8:30 tomorrow morning. Two alternates—both women—were also chosen.
The prosecution and defense agreed on the panel after asking about potential jurors’ attitudes toward Bonds, steroids, and local teams. No Giants fans were seated on the jury, but one of those chosen for the panel said she’s bought Oakland A’s fan gear in the past.
Earlier: More than three years after Barry Bonds was originally indicted for lying to a grand jury, the perjury trial of the former-Giants’ slugger got underway Monday with jury selection. Bonds is accused of lying in 2003 about knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs. He has pleaded not guilty.
Reporter Lance Williams, who arguably owns the story of the BALCO steriod scandal, spoke to KQED about the upcoming trial and wrote an exhaustive article on the topic. If, like me, you’ve been doing your best to ignore the Bonds story the last few years, Williams will get you caught up.
If you’re an orange and black wearing Giants fan who has been waiting for months to hear Renel Brooks-Moon announce the team as “Your World Champion San Francisco Giants,” the trial couldn’t come at a worse time.