ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Jury selection began Monday in the the murder trial of a Ponte Vedra mother accused of killing her two sons almost five years ago.
Prosecutors say Leslie Demeniuk shot and killed her twin 4-year-old sons -- Jamie and Johnny -- at their father's home in Sawgrass Country Club in March 2001.
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They say the killings were premeditated and cold-blooded.
Court documents mistakenly released in 2002 included Demeniuk's confession, in which she acknowledged she killed her sons to hurt her soon-to-be-ex-husband. Their divorce was about to be finalized.
"I shot both boys in the head. I think I shot Jamie twice. I think I shot one of them twice," Demeniuk is quoted as saying to detectives.
The state says they'll show Demeniuk has a history of drug use, and on the day of the murders she had mixed anti-depressants with alcohol. According to court documents, on the day of the shootings, her blood alcohol was measured at three times the legal limit.
Demeniuk's lawyers are expected to present an insanity defense, but they will not be allowed to claim that insanity was the result of the mixture of anti-depressants and alcohol. Judge John Alexander ruled there is not enough documented science to bolster that legal claim -- a decision that was upheld on appeal to the Florida Supreme Court.
A jury pool of about 100 people is available to be interviewed for the trial, and court officials said it could take several days to empanel a six-member jury. After hearing several defense motions, court was recessed for the day about 3:30 p.m.
Jury selection is scheduled to resume Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.
Prosecutors had planned to seek the death penalty is she was convicted, but changed their minds two weeks ago.
Previous Stories:
- April 26, 2002: Detective: Woman Killed Twins To Spite Ex-Husband
- March 20, 2001: 911 Tapes: Boyfriend Finds Twins' Bodies, Panics
- March 19, 2001: Mother Charged With Killing Twin Sons