Jury selection difficult in Bloomingdale rape case

TAMPA - A convicted rapist is back in court today as jury selection continues in the high profile case.

In 2008, an 18-year-old girl was attacked and sexually battered while she returned books at the Bloomingdale Library. Kendrick Morris is accused of committing the crime.

He was convicted earlier this month of raping a day care worker and has yet to be sentenced in that case.

The Bloomingdale victim can no longer walk, talk, see or eat on her own.

The crime generated a massive amount of media coverage. Defense lawyers want the trial moved out of the area because of the pre-trial publicity.

On Monday, all potential jurors filled out a questionnaire asking if they watched the news and whether they had heard about Kendrick Morris. 71 out of the  pool of 100 said they knew about the case.

Judge Chet Tharpe suggested that attorneys try to seat a jury from the remaining 29 who said they have not heard about the case before talking to the 71 who are familiar with the crime.  Both sides agreed.