Afternoon Briefing: Jury selection begins in Terrence Shannon Jr. trial
Good afternoon, Chicago.
Jury selection began today in the rape trial of Terrence Shannon Jr., the 23-year-old Chicago native and University of Illinois men’s basketball standout.
Shannon faces one count of rape or an alternative count of aggravated sexual battery, also a felony. He has denied the allegations, which stem from a trip he and two others took to Lawrence to watch an Illini-Jayhawks football game.
Dressed in a dark-blue suit and a white collared shirt, Shannon sat quietly in Judge Amy Hanley’s courtroom as Douglas County prosecutors questioned a pool of about 70 potential jurors. Three potential jurors were excluded after an hour of questioning, apparently due to their negative views about police. At least five others said they were concerned about sitting on the jury because they, or a loved one, had been the victim of a sex crime.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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