Third Trial Begins for Man Charged in Children's Deaths

Jury selection has begun for the third trial of a man accused in the near-beheadings of three young relatives in Baltimore in 2004.

This time, Policarpio Espinoza Perez is being tried separately from his former co-defendant, Adan Canela.

The men were first tried in 2005, the year after the slayings of a brother and sister and their cousin, all between the ages of 8 and 10. That trial ended in a hung jury.

In their second trial, the men were convicted -- but that verdict was thrown out on appeal.

Espinoza and Canela are illegal immigrants from Mexico. Investigators never established a clear motive in the killings, beyond saying they believed a family dispute was behind it.

Espinoza's trial began Monday. Canela will be tried later this year.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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