Jury Selection Begins In New Sentencing Trial Of Gary Lee Sampson

Jury selection began Wednesday in the sentencing re-trial of Gary Lee Sampson, who was the first defendant ever to be sentenced to death in federal court in Massachusetts.

Sampson was sentenced to death after he plead guilty to the stabbing murders of two men in the course of two separate carjackings in July 2001.

The new jury will decide if Sampson will receive the death penalty or life in prison. In 2003, a federal jury gave Sampson the death penalty. But, the decision was overturned after a judge discovered one of the jurors had lied about their background.

WBUR's David Boeri reports from the federal courthouse in Boston.