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Updates: Hannah Wilson Murder Trial Continues

Daniel Messel (right) leaves the Brown County Courthouse after the first day of his trial.

Daniel Messel's trial for the murder of Hannah Wilson began Tuesday morning with opening statements from the Prosecution and Defense teams.

Follow Becca Costello (@Becca_Costello) for live updates from the Brown County Courthouse on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Check the Twitter accounts of reporters Lindsey Wright (@LindseyWright_) and J.D. Gray (@JDGray11) for previous coverage of jury selection and the trial.

The Jury

After three days of questioning, the judge, Prosecution and Defense teams narrowed down a pool of 150 potential jurors to 12 members and 4 alternates.

The jury was finalized Monday with eight women and four men as primary jurors, plus three women and one man as alternates.

The alternates will sit in on all trial proceedings and will observe jury deliberations, but will not participate in the jury's decision unless a primary juror is unable to continue with the trial.

Prosecution: "We're going to focus on 26 hours."

In the Prosecution's opening statements, the team explained they would focus on 26 hours of time.

See a timeline of events as reported by the police:

Prosecutors say the evidence is credible, concise and consistent. The key elements are Daniel Mesesl's cell phone, found near Wilson's body, a bag of clothes police found Messel carrying when they went to his house, and Messel's DNA.

The Prosecution team says they will use photographs, surveillance video and expert witnesses.

Defense: Don't get overwhelmed and lose focus

The Defense attorney says they will also use surveillance video and expert witnesses to refute the evidence brought by the Prosecution.

In opening statements, Messel's lawyer focused on the process of the police investigation and follow-up on evidence, specifically a cigarette butt found near Wilson's body that was not tested for DNA.

Murder Weapon

At the start of day two of the trial Wednesday morning, before the jury was called into the room, the Defense team attorney asked the judge to keep certain testimony out of the trial concerning the murder weapon. She said the prosecution would imply that Messel's Maglite flashlight could have been the murder weapon, but that an expert witness made it clear it was not possible to classify what type of blunt force object was used to kill Wilson.

The Prosecution replied, saying another witness would testify that Messel described carrying this Maglite in his vehicle for defensive purposes and that this testimony is relevant to the case.

The judge has decided to allow the testimony, saying she hears no prejudice in the Prosecution's use of the testimony about the Maglite.

Witness Testimony

The state called Ms. Bridges to the witness stand, the Brown County woman who discovered Wilson's body on her way to get milk in Bloomington. Bridges noticed the cell phone near Wilson's body and drove home to call the police, since she does not own a cell phone.

Jurors also heard from a woman who lives near where the body was found, and heard her dogs barking at 3:19 in the morning. She did not go outside.

The state has continued to call witnesses to the stand, including law enforcement officials involved in the investigation and friends and acquaintances of Wilson.

This post will be updated as the trial continues.

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