At the half, 11 advance

rIt turns out qualifying a jury -- particularly in regards to the death penalty question -- takes time.

At the belated lunch break, the court worked its way through the first group of 18 potential jurors. Eleven advanced on to the next round.

Of the 7 dismissed, here's the reasoning:

-- Two people said they could consider only the death penalty if Couey is found guilty, not life in prison.

-- Three people said they could under no circumstances impose the death penalty, even if found guilty.

-- One man was dismissed almost immediately because he told the judge he heard something about the case since the last time he was in court.

-- Another juror was let go quickly because he felt the defense needed to prove Couey's innocence, which goes against the premise of innocent until proven guilty.

Attorneys haven't begun to use the 10 strikes each side gets to remove a juror without cause.

For more on how the process works, check out this article from this morning's Citrus Times.