Jury seated in murder trial of Bristolville man
Jury selection got underway Monday in the case of a 19-year-old Bristolville man accused of murdering a Warren man whose body was found in a remote area of Trumbull County.
Jury selection got underway Monday in the case of a 19-year-old Bristolville man accused of murdering a Warren man whose body was found in a remote area of Trumbull County.
Austin Burke is charged with murdering 22-year-old Kenneth Sample who was reported missing last June.
Sample's body was found a few days later near a secluded area of the Grand River Game Lands in Bristolville.
Burke was arrested days later after allegedly robbing the Pizza Joe's restaurant in Cortland.
Burke faces one charge of aggravated murder and tampering with evidence, two charges of aggravated robbery, and weapons charges.
Burke's attorney has argued that investigators have failed to prove where the alleged murder actually occurred and says the charges should be dismissed.
A defense motion asserts that because the evidence was destroyed, Burke's defense cannot prove that Sample did not die from a gunshot, but rather, potentially from a fatal overdose.
A jury was seated Monday afternoon in Judge Andrew Logan's court to hear the case. They were taken to view the scene where Sample's body was found.
Officials have said that Burke and Sample knew each other in some form, but have not commented on the nature of their relationship.