One juror is an air traffic controller. Another a cake decorator living in an RV. They join a psychology major of Iranian descent, a housewife and a mathematician whose husband lost a family member in the 9/11 attacks.
They are all part of the 18-member jury that will decide Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's fate beginning today as the terror trial starts. The 10 women and eight men, all white, were chosen from a pool of 1,373 candidates. Although they remain anonymous, here's a glance at each based on their court interviews:
Juror 83, male
The psychology major said his college education is on pause for financial reasons. He said his mother is Iranian and a former Muslim. He said he'd be comfortable ordering Tsarnaev executed because, "I think it would be merciful if you believe in an afterlife."
Juror 102, female
A cake artist and former emergency room nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton said she and her boyfriend gave up their apartment to buy an RV for a cross-country adventure, but she was willing to live in the RV if chosen for jury duty. "I didn't know what his name was until the court summonsed me here," she said of Tsarnaev.
Juror 480, male
The telecommunications engineer for Partners Healthcare said, "You could feel a buzz that something had happened" as victims from the marathon bombing were being brought into Massachusetts General Hospital, where he works. "We knew there was a bombing. We knew there were a lot of injured people."
Juror 552, male
The retired telecommunications worker claims to be a victim of arson and an attempted house explosion by dynamite. He said he "wanted to do my civic duty, but I didn't necessarily want to do it this way."
Juror 567, male
The air traffic controller for the U.S. Coast Guard at Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod said local media and talk radio is "pretty slanted and full of politics." On watching the bombing coverage and wondering what fate awaited the suspect, he said, "I would not want to be that guy."
Juror 598, male
This self-employed house painter said he fears the planet will eventually be under water. Of the case, he said, "All that matters to me is there are two sides to every story."
Juror 35, male
The price analyst for the state Department of Energy Resources said the war on terror has been "overblown" by the media, but he still attended a fundraiser for and donated $75 to One Fund Boston to benefit victims of the marathon attack. "I've committed myself to make a decision on all the evidence provided in this case," he added.
Juror 41, female
The senior executive assistant for EMC Corp. in Hopkinton said she knows a lot of people in law enforcement. "Sometimes I try not to listen to the news because it's too depressing," she said.
Juror 138, male
A municipal water department worker whose son was an intern for the U.S. Marshals Service in Washington, D.C., said, "The death penalty seems sometimes like it could be the easy way out."
Juror 229, female
A former North Shore social worker who has worked with domestic abuse victims, as well as youth with behavioral issues, said a former college roommate is an immigration attorney for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She added she left her job to raise her children.
Juror 286, female
The restaurant general manager in charge of a staff of 50 said she attracted finger-pointing and supportive comments at Disney World by wearing a "Boston Strong" T-shirt. "Maybe it sounds selfish," she said, "but if it doesn't apply to me, I don't give it much thought."
Juror 349, female
When the bombings occurred April 15, 2013, this women's clothing product development worker was at the hospital bedside of her brother in New York City as he underwent brain surgery. "Is the media watching me right now?" she asked.
Juror 395, female
An executive assistant to a managing partner of a law firm's corporate division said she could keep an open mind -- but it has put her at odds with her husband's opinion of Tsarnaev. "For me there are different degrees of guilt," she said, "and I don't know where this falls."
Juror 441, male
The unemployed auditor who admitted he recently lost his job over a question of his productivity, said, "I could vote not guilty."
Juror 487, female
The single mother of four, including twin boys, who works at a high school said, "Mr. Tsarnaev was a child, also, during this."
Juror 588, female
She sells digital gadgets for Barnes & Noble and said she does not trust press reports on the seriousness of the war on terror. As for why she can be objective about sentencing Tsarnaev to death, "I can't ignore it because I don't like it."
Juror 608, female
The retired actuary's husband lost a family member in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack on New York's World Trade Center. "I'm a mathematician," she said of her occupation.
Juror 638, female
A supervisor for the state Department of Developmental Services said she is so devoted to her work and clients she barely had time to pay attention to the bombings. On whether she has time to serve, "As long as I get my mileage back I'm good to go."
