Jury selection begins today in the murder trial of Gaege Bethune. The 23-year-old Eldorado man is accused of first degree murder in the death of Pravin Varughese.
Varughese was found dead in a patch of woods on the east side of Carbondale in February of 2014. At the time, authorities said he died exposure to the elements.
A second autopsy, ordered by the Varughese family, found evidence he died of blunt force trauma.
Initially the Jackson County State’s Attorney’s office declined to file charges. It was not until a special prosecutor took up the case that Bethune was indicted by a grand jury.
He has pleaded not guilty.
