Murder Trial Against Earnest Williams Set To Begin

Earnest Williams faces charges of murder, arson and desecrating a body and it will  be up to the jury to determine if he's guilty or innocent of any of the charges.

Williams appeared calm, cool and collected as he walked into the courtroom for the jury selection portion of his trial. 

He is accused of killing 26-year-old Laquisha Towers at the Willow Cliff Apartments back on March 2, 2013.

Police found Towers' body inside her burnt out car not far from the Willow Cliff Apartments.

Court papers show Towers had been at the center of an argument that took place at The Office nightclub near NW 63 Street and May Avenue that same night. A man who tried to intervene was stabbed to death.

Police identified him as Raheem Murphy and Towers felt like it was her fault that Murphy was killed, so she went to where he lived at the Willow Cliff Apartments to pay her respects. 

She was never seen alive again.

6/26/2013 Related Story: Arrest Made In Connection To Woman's Body Found In Burning Car

The medical examiner's report shows Towers was shot multiple times.

The search warrant states police found six spent shell casings and fire damage to a nearby apartment that Murphy shared with his family. 

They also found several areas of the carpet had blood stains and that part of the carpet had been cut out and removed.

Detectives think Towers was shot and killed at the apartment, and both it and her car were set on fire to destroy possible evidence.

Now, it will be up to the state to prove Williams was the one who carried out the brutal crime and participated in the cover up.

He is being represented by a private attorney who said the trial is expected to last about a week and that the state is expected to call more than a dozen witnesses.

A jury was not seated Monday, despite hours of questioning. More than 50 potential jurors remain and jury selection will continue Tuesday morning.