Trial begins in teen's slaying

BURLINGTON, Iowa Testimony is under way in the first-degree murder trial of one of two men accused of killing a teenager in Burlington last year.

Nineteen-year-old William Lucas Junior is charged in the death of 17-year-old Michael Harper Junior in February 2004. Also charged is 19-year-old Brent Saner.

In opening statements today, prosecutors said Lucas and Saner lured Harper into a wooded area near downtown Burlington, where they beat and strangled him and stabbed him 111 times.

Assistant Des Moines County Attorney Ty Rogers says Lucas and Saner planned the attack after believing Harper had told police about their role in stealing a paintball gun.

In Rogers' words, the killing was "as brutal as it gets."

The defense reserved making opening statement until it begins its case.

The bench trial, before District Judge John Linn, is expected to last into next week.

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