HAMILTON — A jury of eight women and four men is to begin hearing testimony today in a murder retrial in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

        Randy Young, 38, is accused of assault, murder and abuse of a corpse in the 1999 death of Tammy Es ther McClellan, whose partially clothed body was found in Crawford Woods Park with a stick shoved down her throat.

        Timing has emerged as a key issue in the case, which ended with a hung jury in August.

        Mr. Young was the last person seen with Ms. McClellan before her body was found. That is one of a number of “intricate facts” pointing to Mr. Young as her killer, said Assistant Prosecutor Lee Oldendick.

        Mr. Young's lawyer, Melynda Cook-Reich, argues otherwise.

        She said there are several theories on estimating time of death based on body temperature and that, based on those theories, Ms. McClellan could have been alive for 24 hours or more after Mr. Young last saw her.

        Mr. Oldendick said two hairs found on the victim's body couldn't be ruled out as coming from Mr. Young or one of his relatives. But Mrs. Cook-Reich said that literally thousands, if not millions, of people could fit the characteristics that tests revealed about those hairs.

        “Evidence which says you cannot exclude someone as the source of two hairs is not enough to convict,” she said, urging the jury to return a not guilty verdict.

        The case is expected to last about five days in the courtroom of Judge Keith Spaeth.

Luken woos Dayton manager
Evendale sticks by Roach hiring
Improvement brings school honors
Ohio opponents of multistate lottery to sue
PULFER: The Vagina Monologues
Televised town hall airs Wednesday
CAN lacks financial direction
Cops tired of long workweek
Council pleads ignorance, then restores nurses
Medicaid receivers await cuts
School board's chief re-elected
UC faculty voting on contract
UC scholarships still available
Good News: Sign up to play Sno-Ball
Local Digest
Recreation notes
Tax petition drive intensifies
Butler County murder retrial starts today
Hamilton gears up for IceFest
Little Miami looks at levy
Man admits killing toddler
Ross to hold forums on building
Bill would jail all sex offenders
Gallatin Co. installs first zoning laws
Kentucky Digest
Park has support, but lacks financing
Plants entangle Newport council
Push to rename 12th St. bridge for Poweleit
Letcher Co. short on water
NAACP shares redistricting idea
Truck spills explosive materials near schools