Jury Selection Continues in Sexual Assault Case

Jury selection continued Wednesday in the case of Henrique Marques, 25, who is accused of having sex with a 15-year-old girl in his apartment in 2010.

More than a dozen potential jurors from the jury pool were shown into the third-floor Danbury Superior Court courtroom Wednesday, where they saw Marques, his Attorney Jennifer Tunnard, State's Attorney Stephen Sedensky, and Judge Robin Pavia.

Marques is facing one charge of second-degree sexual assault and two charges of risk of injury to a minor. The charges arose when Marques, then 23, was accused having sex with a 15-year-old girl.

As Judge Pavia, Sedensky and Tunnard took turns questioning jurors, Tunnard objected to Sedensky continually describing the 15-year-old girl as a "victim." She said that might influence how jurors see the case against her client right out of the starting gate. Tunnard quoted case law several times to bolster her argument.

Judge Pavia decided at about 4:50 p.m. Wednesday to resolve that issue with arguments Thursday morning after giving herself, Sedensky, and Tunnard the night to research it.

The trial could start as early as Friday afternoon, but two more jurors and two alternate jurors are required. Based on the slow progress in picking jurors, it is more likely for the trial to start next Tuesday. The trial could last two weeks.