In what circumstances will a prospective jury at a jury trial be able to reach a verdict based solely on the evidence presented at trial?

Insofar as the record before us shows, many of the prospective jurors had little or no knowledge beyond the basic facts of the case that were reported early on, and stated they either had formed no opinion as to guilt or had not formed a fixed opinion, and could base a verdict solely on the evidence presented at trial. (See People v. Alfaro (2007) 41 Cal.4th 1277, 1323.) In fact, none of the original trial jurors professed to have knowledge of the case, and the alternate juror who had some knowledge and who became a trial juror partway through trial could only recall that a lady was robbed of a necklace and knocked down. He had no doubt about his ability to set aside what he had heard and decide the case based solely on the evidence presented in the courtroom. The trial court

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