Olathe ? Seven women and five men were selected Friday afternoon to serve as jurors in the triple-murder case against John E. Robinson Sr., despite a final plea from his attorney to delay the trial.

Judge John Anderson III denied a renewed defense motion to dismiss all jurors and move the trial out of Johnson County because of excessive pretrial publicity.

“It is the belief of the court that the panel that we have is fair and impartial and that we can have a fair trial,” Anderson said before the jury was selected.

Opening statements are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Monday, with the trial lasting four to six weeks.

Robinson, 58, is charged in Kansas with killing three women, including Suzette Trouten of Michigan and Izabela Lewicka, a Polish immigrant and former Purdue University student, whose bodies were found in barrels on Robinson’s property in Linn County. He is also charged with killing Lisa Stasi, who has been missing for 17 years. Robinson faces the death penalty.

Sean O’Brien, one of Robinson’s two court-appointed attorneys, said the jury selection confirmed earlier statements by the defense that their client could not get a fair trial.

O’Brien cited responses by jurors that indicated a majority had an opinion that at the least was unfavorable to Robinson, or that he was guilty of murder.

“There are no assurances from someone who says John Robinson is guilty but that they can set that aside,” O’Brien said. “We shouldn’t be trying this case with this panel in this county at this time.”