In opening arguments for the securities fraud trial for pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, his attorney called on jurors to keep an “open mind” to weigh accusations against a defendant that they may find detestable.

“You might not like Martin Shkreli and you may have reasons to hate Martin Shkreli, but that is not a basis upon which to convict,” said Benjamin Brafman, Shkreli's lead counsel.

The opening statements for the case came on Wednesday afternoon following almost three full days of voir dire, in which a number of potential jurors used their sidebars with Eastern District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto to vent their feelings about Shkreli and the pharmaceutical industry.