MONTREAL - Jury selection begins today in the first-degree murder trial of Luka Rocco Magnotta.
Magnotta faces five charges in connection with the May 2012 slaying and dismemberment of Jun Lin, a 33-year-old Chinese engineering student.
It is believed that choosing the bilingual jurors who will hear the evidence will last as long as two weeks. The accused is expected to be present for the selection process.
The 32-year-old Magnotta is represented by Toronto-based criminal attorney Luc Leclair, while the Crown's case will be presented by Louis Bouthillier.
Quebec Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer will preside over the trial, which is expected to last between six and eight weeks. As it stands, evidence is unlikely to be heard before Sept. 22.
Magnotta has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge and the four others: committing an indignity to a body; publishing obscene material; criminally harassing Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other members of Parliament; and mailing obscene and indecent material.
