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In pretrial testimony, the man's former wife said he spoke of being "chosen," believed that the world was coming to an end and was convinced that he and his offspring would be the only remaining inhabitants. She said some of the babies were delivered at home and never received birth certificates, and that in at least two instances babies who died in the home were buried without authorities being notified. The woman, expected to be the first witness called to testify, also previously testified that state child welfare officials had removed at least one of the children from the family's home and that the family had temporarily moved, first to Jersey City and then to Florida, to avoid the agency's investigation. Jury selection at state Superior Court in Paterson lasted more than a week, with jurors given a brief overview of the charges by the judge, who mentioned the allegations of incest. Several of the prospective jurors who asked to speak to the judge privately during jury selection were sent home, but it was not known why they asked to be excused. Noting the difficult subject matter of the trial, the prosecution and the defense asked a judge for a pool of 16 jurors
-- 12 jurors and 4 alternates -- in case some drop out.
[Associated
Press;
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