Lead attorney for accused murderer Markus Kaarma, Paul Ryan, questioned potential jurors about matters he felt were relevant in the trial.

Ryan jumped right into the media's coverage of the trial. He asked if anyone knew that he and his team had asked for a change of venue. Most raised their hands. One juror asked Ryan why he asked for the venue change. He stated that he was concerned that his client could not receive a fair trial.

He also asked how far the jurors might go to protect their children, specifically for an infant. Kaarma said he was protecting his wife and child when he shot Diren Dede in his garage.

Ryan asked jurors about their fears and phobias. Would they hold an unreasonable fear against someone who could not control their response to fear. He asked who might be afraid of the dark. Kaarma's garage was pitch black when he allegedly confronted Dede on April 27.

He asked about whether they would call the police during a break-in, or handle the problem themselves. He asked if they might be frustrated with how the police might respond.

One juror was excused when he could not agree that the garage was considered legally to be a part of the house, even though the judge said it was. Ryan asked Judge Ed McLean to excuse the juror, who then left the courtroom. A total of four people had been dismissed from the jury pool for cause by about 4:00 p.m. One woman was excused in the morning because she had close friends in the law enforcement community, while two other men were excused because they had been victims of theft.

Jury selection will resume on Tuesday morning.

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