Jury Selection Expected In Trial Of Man Accused Of Brutally Beating Roommate

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Jury selection is expected to begin Tuesday afternoon in the trial of a man accused of brutally beating his roommate.

Investigators say 39-year-old Byron Mitchell left Danielle Jones in a coma for several weeks.

Jones says she and Mitchell met through the online site Craigslist when she needed a roommate.

A week after he moved in, Jones' mother said her daughter shared a bottle of wine with Mitchell and a friend on Valentine's Day 2016. Sometime after the friend left, Mitchell attacked her. He is accused of choking, bashing and stabbing her nearly to death.

Jones was hospitalized and in a coma for nearly three months.

Mitchell, a fitness trainer, claims the two were in a relationship and this was self-defense after Danielle came at him with a knife.

Mitchell is charged with attempted felony murder.