Jury selection begins in trial for man accused of killing OHP trooper

Sunday, May 8th 2005, 3:04 pm

By: News On 6

LAWTON, Okla. (AP) _ The murder trial of a former Duncan firefighter accused of killing an Oklahoma Highway patrolman is under way with the start of jury selection Monday in Comanche County District Court in Lawton.

Ricky Ray Malone is charged with first-degree murder in the December 26th, 2003 shooting death of Trooper Nik Green in Cotton County near the town of Devol. Prosecutors have said they'll seek the death penalty.

Investigators have said Green was investigating a suspicious vehicle when he found Malone operating a methamphetamine lab in his sister's car.

Prosecutors say the two fought when Green tried to arrest Malone and Malone was able to get the trooper's gun and shoot him. Prosecutors also say they have audio and video recordings of the fight.

The trial was moved to Comanche County because of scheduling conflicts with expert witnesses and because Cotton County has only two trial dockets each year.

Jury selection is expected to last up to two days.