Jury selection continues Wednesday in Coggon toddler murder

Jury selection continues 9 a.m. Wednesday in the first-degree murder trial of Lee Muldoon, 25, of Coggon, in Linn County District Court.

Opening statements should begin by the afternoon.

Trish Mehaffey will provide live coverage from the courtroom when opening statements start. Readers can follow along and provide comments or ask questions.

Muldoon is accused of killing his girlfriend's daughter Skylar, 2, July 11, 2008. Skylar died of blunt force injuries.

Many of the prospective jurors were dismissed Tuesday because they admitted not being able to be impartial, had a past experience with child abuse and self-employed people said it was a hardship for them to miss work for three weeks.

The selection process is taking longer than normal because many in the panel preferred to be questioned individually by the judge and attorneys, outside the presence of the others.