Jurors were selected Monday for the murder trial of Oil City man Brandon Wells, and attorneys for both sides will present their opening arguments today as the trial gets underway in the Venango County Courthouse.
Wells, 46, is accused of killing his girlfriend, Brierlie Walters, who was 39, at the residence they shared at 12 Mineral St. in Oil City on March 5, 2022.
Walters’ body was found in a barrel in the home.
The jury for Wells’ trial is made up of nine women and three men as well as four alternate jurors, said Lana Linden, the Venango County prothonotary and clerk of courts.
Close to 225 people were called for jury selection on Monday morning. Selecting the jury took about three hours, Linden said.
The felony drug delivery resulting in death charge was also added last August to the list of charges against Wells, according to court documents.
In addition to the two charges added several months after Walters’ death, Wells is facing felony counts of manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver and criminal attempt — manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, three felony counts of endangering the welfare of children, and misdemeanor counts of possession of controlled substances, use/possession of drug paraphernalia and abuse of a corpse.
The trial will begin at 9 a.m. today in Courtroom One at the courthouse.
The prosecution will begin presenting its case following the opening arguments.
