JURY SELECTION BEGINS IN SUSAN SMITH TRIAL

Angry crowds surged around the Union, S.C. courthouse last fall whenSusan Smith was arrested on charges of drowning her two young boys.But asjury selectionbegan today, the crowd consisted of some 50 reporters and cameramen covering the trial. About 150 potential jurors from this small town were interviewed. So far, 42 have been dismissed for various reasons. A separate hearing todetermine her competenceto stand trial has not yet reached a conclusion. Her lawyers say Smith is suicidal, and that her depression may lead her to make self-incriminating statements during the trial. TIME's Joe Kane reports that while the Smith case has attracted national attention,infanticide is not uncommon.He says FBI figures show that 10,656 children under the age of five were killed between 1976 and 1992. Parents were responsible for the murders in 63 percent of the cases.