The trial for the 2003 murder of a well-known Hawthorne resident started today.
In 2003, 44 year old Wayne Hutchinson was stabbed to death within a block of his home. Last fall, Alachua County Sheriff's Detectives arrested two men in connection with the murder.
Now over 7 years after the murder occurred, jury selection began at the Alachua County Courthouse for the First Degree Murder trial of Eddie Gillins Jr. and William Bascomb.
For years after the brutal murder of Wayne Hutchinson, his family prayed for justice.
ASO Deputies said that Eddie Gillins Jr. and William Bascomb are responsible for killing Hutchinson, who was mentally challenged, in a dirt lot near his home in Hawthorne.
But even after the arrests were made, the Hutchinson family still had to wait, which is not uncommon with First Degree Murder trials.
Spencer Mann of The State Attorney's Office said the prosecution will call witnesses and forensic experts this week to make a strong case against the two suspects. He said, "The State is going to try to pull it all together and show a particular picture and explanation as to who committed the crime and why."
However, Mann said although The State Attorney is ready, there are a lot of challenges to overcome. He said, "It's a very difficult case for many reasons, one is it happened several years ago, so there is time and distance that has gone between the case and the charges."
As the trial begins tomorrow morning with opening statements, the wait is over for the Hutchinson family, but the case won't be closed until the 12 person jury selected today renders their verdict.