Jury selection starts in Rockford quadruple murder trial

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - Jury selection has started in the trial for a northern Illinois man on charges he fatally shot a woman, her two sons and her boyfriend.

The Rockford Register Star reports (http://bit.ly/2tNg4Mi ) that Calvin Carter is charged with 133 counts of first-degree murder and home invasion in the deaths. Jury selection proceedings started Wednesday. He is accused in the death of 22-year-old Martia Flint, her 6-year-old son Tyrone Smith III and 4-year-old son Tobias K. Smith and her boyfriend, 24-year-old Demontae Rhodes. Authorities say the four were killed in a Rockford apartment on Dec. 20, 2014.

Carter has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors and defense attorneys say more than 50 witnesses could be called in the Winnebago County trial. They expect the trial could last two to three weeks.

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Information from: Rockford Register Star, http://www.rrstar.com