ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jury selection continued Tuesday for the trial of a father facing first degree murder charges in the death of his child. 

As of Tuesday evening, no jurors had officially been seated.

John Jonchuck, 29, is accused of dropping his 5-year-old daughter to her death from the Dick Misner Bridge in 2015. 

His trial began Monday, March 18 with jury selction.  

About 500 potential jurors are expected for questioning this week and more than 100 are expected to be questioned each day. 

Out of the dozens of potential jurors questioned on Monday, only 13 made the shortlist of candidates so far.

It's a slow process because some of that questioning on more sensitive subject matter was done in private. 

The question is not whether Jonchuck killed his daughter, but whether he was insane when he did it.

That is what jurors will need to decide as they listen to testimony from countless witnesses, describing the days and even years leading up to Phoebe's death.

 

Jonchuck's team will focus on showing jurors he is insane, or at least was insane that day.

And the state must prove to jurors that he knew the difference between right and wrong.

Criminal defense attorney Kevin Hayslett, who is not involved in this case, told Spectrum Bay News 9 that these jurors will have to hear difficult details, see heart-wrenching photos, and ultimately set aside their emotions to come up with a verdict.

"This case is difficult because the judge has to ensure even if you've heard information about the case, can you put that aside and be fair and impartial, and only rely on the evidence that comes in the courtroom from witnesses?" Hayslett said.

Choosing a jury could take hours but it will likely take days. The 12 chosen jurors will have to listen carefully each day of this trial.

Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty, so either Jonchuck will go to prison for life or he will be sent to a psychiatric hospital and likely never be released.