publicdefender, I like your strategy on picking jurors. Kind of a contrarian approach. Interesting that you plant a thought in their heads without even having to say it out loud – probably works better that way.
WRT presumed innocence – yes, my immediate thought on hearing that someone has been accused of a crime is that they probably did it.
My secondary thoughts are that I don’t think the prosecutor’s office would bring forth a charge unless they believe they can win the case. And, I imply that I think that the veteran attorneys – or maybe it’s just the high profile attorneys – care more about winning than actually proving or disproving guilt.