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Jury selection begins in Lake County murder trial

Jury selection began Monday in the murder trial of a Beach Park man accused of killing a Waukegan man and dumping his body in a forest preserve pond in 2011.

Eric Castillo, 26, faces 12 counts of murder of varying degrees at trial this week in front of Judge George Bridges at the Lake County Courthouse.

Castillo was one of five people accused in the murder of David Campbell, 27, at a Waukegan auto-body garage on July 1, 2011.

Police said the five were looking for revenge when they lured Campbell to the auto-body shop, burned him with a blowtorch, hit him in the head with a hammer, choked him, then wrapped his body in plastic before dumping it in the Penny Road Pond near Barrington.

Lake County prosecutors said Castillo was “hands on” during the attack, but would not say Monday if he struck the final blow that killed Campbell,

Police allege Campbell was wrongly accused by the five of committing a sexual assault against one of the assailants.

Cases involving two of the suspects in Campbell's death have already been decided, authorities said

Jose Horta, 21, of the 300 block of Edison Court in Waukegan, is due to be sentenced to prison March 11 after being found guilty of murder in November.

Roberto Guzman, of the 1000 block of Berwick Boulevard in Waukegan, was sentenced to 29 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in May.

Nadia Palacios, 24, of 3500 block of Windhaven Drive in Waukegan, is awaiting trial.

Authorities believe there was a fifth suspect in Campbell's murder, but that person has not been identified and has eluded capture.

Four arrested in 2011 murder of Waukegan man found in Barrington-area forest preserve

Waukegan man tortured before being killed, dumped in pond

Fourth Waukegan suspect pleads not guilty to murder

Waukegan man pleads guilty to 2011 torture and murder

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