Eyes around the nation are on Central Florida as the high-profile George Zimmerman trial for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin got underway Monday at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center.

Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for the Sanford shooting on Feb. 26, 2012. Zimmerman has claimed he shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense after he was attacked, but prosecutors say Zimmerman profiled and followed the unarmed 17-year-old.

Jury selection began Monday morning, as the first 100 potential jurors in a total pool of 500 was narrowed down to a group of 21, to be interviewed one by one in the courtroom. Six will be chosen as jurors, with at least two alternates.

At least 17 jurors are scheduled to be questioned Tuesday.

See Minute-by-Minute Updates from Day 1 of Jury Selection.

Last-minute delay denied

Zimmerman arrived in the courtroom at 9:02 a.m. Monday, as his lead attorney, Mark O'Mara, asked the judge for a last-minute delay of trial, claiming, "We're not ready."

Circuit Judge Nelson quickly denied the motion and moved on to jury selection. In the first group of 100 from the large pool of 500 jurors summoned, each juror was given a questionnaire to fill out for the judge and attorneys.

Seminole County court officials said that questionnaire would not be made public until after a jury is seated, but the questions likely included whether a juror had already formed an opinion on the case based on what they've heard so far in the media, or whether a juror would face hardship at work or at home if they had to sit on a jury for an extended period of time.

Another potential question may have asked the jurors' feelings about race, which has played a role in the public's view of the case. That was one of the things we asked Zimmerman's brother, Robert Zimmerman Jr., in an exclusive interview on Sunday.

"I think that we're having a conversation about race. Unfortunately what bothers me is what this case has been made to be about civil rights or about the value of a black life," said Robert Zimmerman Jr. "This isn't the case for it; it never has been. It's a case about self-defense and two people's lives intersecting, and unfortunately, someone losing their life in that moment."

George Zimmerman's brother also said his family has received death threats in the days leading up to the first day of trial.

4 jurors interviewed

Lawyers questioned four jurors Monday -- three women and one man -- all parents, and all Seminole County residents, including one who moved to Florida just four months ago.

Juror No. 12

The first juror to be interviewed was a grandmother who lives about 10 miles from the Retreat at Twin Lakes neighborhood where Trayvon Martin was shot, but who said she has not followed the case closely on TV or online.

She told prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda that when she learned she might be chosen for the Zimmerman trial jury, she made a point not to look up information about the shooting, so she could prevent herself from forming an opinion before the trial began.

Juror No. 29

Monday's second interview was with a woman who recently moved to Florida from Chicago just a few months ago. A mother of seven children, ranging in age from 3 to 19, she said she has not followed the case at all, and did not know it was starting on the same day she was summoned to jury duty.

The woman said she remembered people talking about the Trayvon Martin shooting shortly after it happened more than a year ago, but she had not formed her own opinion on it. This juror said she does not follow the news, and focuses on her family and her job at a nursing home, working with patients with dementia.

Juror No. 30

A widower in his 60s, this juror said he has lived in Central Florida his entire life, but did not follow the Zimmerman case at all, saying he does not watch much news because of the large amount of negativity that is shown.

He said he recalled hearing that Trayvon Martin was in Sanford visiting his father, somehow came in contact and got into a scuffle with George Zimmerman, and a gun went off.

"I think it's a case of two people in the wrong place at the wrong time," the juror said.

He added he was grieving his wife's loss over the last year, and though he did not pay much attention to the news, he and his family were approached by a TV reporter asking what they thought of this case. He said he did not have an opinion on it, and he recalled his girlfriend and other family members giving similar responses.

The juror said he has a hearing problem, but wears a headset that allowed him to hear the attorneys in court just fine. He also added he was retired, so he has "nothing else to do in the world but play golf. But this is more interesting."

Juror No. 76

The final juror questioned Monday is a wife and mother of two children. She has lived in Seminole County since 1981, and while she has seen details about the case in the media, she had not formed an opinion on it. She said she and her family members have kept an open mind, and she believes everyone deserves a fair trial.

At one point, defense attorney Don West asked if she could recognize Trayvon Martin's mother in the courtroom. She said no, though Sybrina Fulton was, indeed, seated at the time.