WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Prosecutors warned a Washington County jury on Monday that they would hear "graphic" testimony in Terrell Yarbrough's second murder trial, but the Pittsburgh man's lawyer maintains that his client is still not guilty of killing two college students.
Yarbrough, 28, of the East Liberty neighborhood, was convicted in Ohio of aggravated murder and sentenced to die, but he's being retried because the state Supreme Court said the trial should have taken place in Pennsylvania.
Police said the victims -- Aaron Land, 20, and Brian Muha, 18 -- were robbed and kidnapped from their apartment near the Franciscan University campus in Steubenville, Ohio, in May 1999, and driven just across the state line to Robinson Township, Washington County, where they were shot to death.
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Watch Ashlie Hardway's Report From The Courthouse Video - Terrell Yarbrough Says He's Innocent As the trial began, Channel 4 Action News' Ashlie Hardway reported that prosecutors said the bodies were hidden in brush on a rocky hillside near Route 22, their faces so badly damaged that dental records were necessary for identification.
Prosecutors also described for the jury some of the evidence against Yarbrough, including the victims' DNA being found on his pants and socks.
Andrew Doran, the victims' roommate, testified that he woke "to a loud series of crashes" around 5 a.m. on the day of the kidnapping and jumped out his bedroom window.
When he re-entered their duplex, he saw a man with a bandana covering his face who said, "Aw (expletive), we've got another one," according to the testimony. Doran said he was able to escape and call police.
Steubenville Police Officer Shawn Scott testified that Yarbrough was driving Muha's stolen vehicle when police recovered it and arrested Yarbrough.
During the defense's opening statement, Yarbrough's attorney contended it was the other suspect in the case, Nathan Herring, who was behind the killings. Herring has been convicted of charges including aggravated murder and is serving two life sentences.
Yarbrough's defense team, led by Kenneth J. Haber, acknowledged that their client was involved in the kidnapping but said he did not shoot Land and Muha.
The defense said that Yarbrough actually stopped Herring from shooting a Squirrel Hill woman with the same gun used in the students' killings, and said that the woman has testified in the past that Yarbrough was her protector and savior.
Yarbrough is accused of homicide and conspiracy and could be sentenced to death if he's found guilty.
Testimony will continue on Tuesday at the county courthouse.
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