The murder trial of a former security guard accused of raping and killing a 27-year-old woman in her downtown Orlando apartment is scheduled to start Monday.
In recent weeks, Stephen Duxbury has been trying to get evidence excluded from his murder trial, including statements he made during a lie-detector test and a pair of shoes investigators say match marks left at the crime scene.
"This is a big deal. A circumstantial evidence case is like a puzzle. You have to get all of those pieces of that puzzle into evidence so you can show, this defendant is guilty of what you charged him with," said Bill Sheaffer, WFTV legal analyst.
Duxbury is accused of raping and killing Sasha Samsudean in her Uptown Place apartment after she came home from a night of drinking in downtown Orlando, investigators said.
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"Once jury selection begins, it's too late to make motions to exclude evidence. However, the defense during the trial will raise objections as that evidence comes in," said Sheaffer.
Samsudean was killed in October 2015 and was found in her apartment wrapped in a comforter when friends started to wonder where she was.
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Investigators said DNA evidence and a fingerprint linking Duxbury to Samsudean’s death were also found in her apartment.
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Jury selection is scheduled to start Monday and opening statements are expected to start by the middle of the week.
Officials said they expect around five days of testimony once jury selection is complete.
Duxbury faces life in prison if convicted in Samsudean’s death.
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