SACRAMENTO, California - As jury selection began this morning in the Unabom trial, Ken Stull repaved a sidewalk near the federal courthouse and pondered the meaning of the day's events.
"It's a waste of time to go through with it," Stull said. "I mean, they say McVeigh did it. I guess the only question is whether someone else is involved."
Stull's confusion of suspects and cases - Timothy McVeigh was convicted earlier this year for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing; Theodore Kaczynski is the defendant in the current case - was indicative of a town that, though it was the site of two Unabomber attacks, isn't exactly hanging on every word of media coverage.
Another leading indicator of interest: trial-related street vendors. One entrepreneur hawked T-shirts outside the John E. Moss Federal Building. His customers: mostly members of the media from an armada of satellite trucks and traveling TV RVs parked together in an area now known as "Kamp Kaczynski."
Angela Allen, who coordinates Sacramento's downtown farmer's market, offered this analysis of the absence of Trial of the Century Fever: no drama.
"He's definitely guilty. They have the diaries," Allen said. "They only question is the penalty."
Seconding that opinion was Danny Ray, a delivery driver for Mad Butcher Meat Co. who was delivering chicken thighs to a nearby taco stand.
"If they found the evidence that says he's guilty, they should just lock him up," Ray said.
Kaczynski faces a 10-count indictment for allegedly mailing four of the 16 Unabom packages between 1978 and 1995. The Sacramento charges include two of the three fatal Unabombings - attacks that killed computer-store owner Hugh Scrutton in 1985 and California forestry lobbyist Gilbert Murray in 1995.
Kaczynski could face the death penalty if convicted of the Scrutton or Murray charges, a fact that took center stage in the first day of courtroom proceedings.
In all, six jurors were questioned during the morning voir dire session, and three of the jurors were dismissed.
A prospective panelist who was dismissed, "Juror Number Two," said during questioning that she wouldn't feel right sentencing someone to death. "I don't feel I can say whether he should live or die," she said.
The woman also said she had watched some television programs about the Unabomber, in spite of a letter to jury prospects from US District Court Judge Garland Burrell asking them to avoid media coverage of the case.
Burrell appeared exasperated that the woman had ignored his advice and questioned her as to whether she would be an impartial juror. She said she didn't think so, but was unable to provide a reason.
A second juror who was dismissed, "Juror Number Three," described himself as a "proponent" of the death penalty. He also said that lawyers are not always trusted because they use "little things" to get their clients off.
"Like they'll say the [police] didn't read them [defendants] their rights, or there was an illegal search instead of looking at the overall crime," Number Three said.
The juror also said he walked by the crime scene shortly after the explosion that killed Gilbert Murray.
Juror Number One, who was not dismissed, said he had no opinion on the death penalty. On a questionnaire, the juror said he "somewhat disagreed" with the statement that a terrorist should get the death penalty. However, in court he said he thinks that his decision would depend on the circumstances.
"Sometimes you shouldn't take a life," he said. "Other times you hear about a serial killer, and you get angry and say you should take the [person's] life."
