Jury selection got underway Monday in the Galleria Mall murder case.

Phillip Grant is accused of stabbing Connie Russo Carriero to death at the Galleria Mall parking garage in June because she was white. Grant, who is a convicted sex offender, is the first person in Westchester to be charged with murder as a hate crime. Lawyers for both sides must interview 130 potential jurors and narrow it down to 12. One challenge the defense has found is finding impartial jurors. The defense has asked the judge that once a jury is selected it be sequestered for the duration of the trial.

The jury selection is expected to take at least three weeks.