Trial of Adam Longoria, accused of murdering Kan. teen Alicia DeBolt, set to begin

(CBS/AP) GREAT BEND, Kan. - The trial of the man who prosecutors say sexually assaulted then killed 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt in August 2010 is scheduled to begin in Kansas today.

Pictures: Alicia DeBolt: A Life Cut Short

Adam Longoria, 38, faces life in prison without parole if convicted of capital murder. Prosecutors say Longoria was "obsessed" with the teenage cheerleader, and claim he lured her into his vehicle after texting her about a party on the weekend before she was supposed to start her freshman year in high school.

Her family reported her missing the next day, setting off a search that ended three days later when her charred body, with traces of duct tape on her ankles and face, was found at the asphalt plant where Longoria worked.

To convict him of capital murder, prosecutors must also prove aggravating circumstances such as sodomy or attempted rape when Alicia was killed. The state is not seeking the death penalty.

Longoria is also charged with vehicle burglary and theft related to the crime.

Longoria's attorneys suggested during jury selection that jurors must also be able to consider a lesser charge in the death that would not carry a sentence of mandatory life imprisonment without parole.

A panel of 12 jurors and two alternates is to be finalized Thursday and testimony in the case is expected to stretch into next week. As many as 170 potential state witnesses have been listed, although prosecutors have said they plan to call far fewer than that number to the stand.

Potential jurors were warned during questioning to expect gruesome crime scene photos to be projected onto a screen in the courtroom.

The government also has a collection of text messages Longoria allegedly sent DeBolt in the weeks leading up to her death, including an exchange the day of her death.

Complete coverage of Alicia DeBolt on Crimesider