MONTREAL -- Jury selection is underway in the first-degree murder trial of Luka Rocco Magnotta.
Magnotta has pleaded not guilty to five charges, including first-degree murder, in connection with the May 2012 slaying and dismemberment of Jun Lin, 33, a Chinese engineering student.
The court is vetting two dozen prospective jurors a day until it has found 14 bilingual candidates and two alternates.
Roughly 300 candidates remain from the initial 1,600 summoned last week.
This morning's proceedings mark the the first time the 32-year-old Magnotta hasn't appeared in a high-security courtroom.
Instead, the selection is being done in a regular courtroom to make it easier for Magnotta to talk to his lawyer.
While the trial will take place mostly in English, many witnesses will testify in French.
Hundreds of potential jurors received exemptions last week, primarily because they said they were not proficient enough in both languages.
Besides the murder charge, Magnotta has pleaded not guilty to committing an indignity to a body; publishing obscene material; criminally harassing Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other members of Parliament; and mailing obscene and indecent material.
