Jury selected in trial of man accused of murdering Temple student in 2017

The jury has been selected in the trial for the man accused of murdering a Temple University student in August of 2017.
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PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The jury has been selected in the trial of the man accused of murdering a Temple University student in August, 2017. 

Joshua Hupperterz, 30, is accused of murdering Jenna Burleigh, putting her body in a container and using a ride sharing service to move it to his grandmother's property in the Poconos, where she was later found. 

Seven men and five women will decide whether Josh Hupperterz murdered Jenna Burleigh. 

RELATED: Man accused of murdering Temple student in 2017 rejects plea deal

Through one portion of jury selection, the defense argued that the prosecution's dismissal of four potential jurors, who were all black men, seemed to be a pattern. 

Judge Glenn Bronson then heard the prosecutor's reasoning for each - like how one of the men worked at a state correctional facility in the city, another had a brother who was charged with murder but was later acquitted - and said he understood the Commonwealth's concern and denied the defense's motion.

Jury selection now finished. 7 men, 5 women - half of the panel are minorities. A few motions to discuss & then opening arguments will begin tomorrow morning. https://t.co/SKz1de4r5t

— Kristen Johanson (@KristenJohanson) January 7, 2019

Hupperterz, the judge said, appeared to be white. 

Defense attorney David Nenner said he was informed the defendant is a quarter black and part Mexican.

Half the jurors are minorities, as well as all of the alternates.

One other juror asked the judge to dismiss her because she had an eerie feeling about the defendant when she walked in, to which the judge said, "that's a new one for me." 

The defense also told the judge Hupperterz will not contest the abuse of corpse charge, but they motioned to throw out specific photos of the body and claimed it could be inflammatory for the jury.

Bronson has said he will rule later on the matter and wants to look at how other potentially similar cases have been handled.