After two days, 400 questionnaires and nearly 75 interviews, lawyers have seated a jury in the trial of Thomas Fast.
Two years ago, Manatee County Sheriff's Office detectives arrested Fast and charged him with murdering his stepmother, Susan Fast, 60.
Deputies found her dismembered body a month after she was reported missing in June 2007.
Investigators said the GPS device in Susan Fast's SUV led them to a pond along a busy stretch of Lakewood Ranch. That's where sheriff's divers discovered her body in garbage bags, some of them stuck in the storm drain.
Thomas Fast faces a possible life sentence if convicted of her murder. His request to raise his own legal objections during the trial delayed the start of jury selection.
Investigators said in addition to other evidence they also found her missing jewelry stuffed in a hidden compartment of a deodorant can that was in a duffel bag belonging to Thomas Fast.
Family members said that Thomas has suffered from bouts of delusions and paranoia, including bizarre beliefs involving his own family.
Opening statements start tomorrow morning.
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