It's been four years since Natrona County held a capital murder trial.

That changes Monday when the trial of Donald Rolle begins.

Rolle, 47, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jennifer Randel, whose body, authorities say, was found Nov. 4 in his pickup along a rural road west of Casper.

More than 60 people have been subpoenaed to testify at the trial, which will be held in the main courtroom at the Natrona County District Courthouse. Selecting 12 jurors and three alternates could alone take up much of the first week.

Attorneys will select jurors from daily panels of 48 people. Once that is completed, opening statements will begin.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Rolle, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Prosecuting Rolle will be District Attorney Michael Blonigen, who also represented the state of Wyoming in Natrona County's last death penalty case, in the spring of 2004.

Rolle is represented by Vaughn Neubauer, a local public defender who also has experience in death penalty cases. Assisting him are attorneys Randolph Hiller and Erin Thompson.

The trial begins a little more than 10 months after Randel's death. On Nov. 3, 2007, a person who identified herself as the 40-year-old Casper woman called 911 to say she was being held against her will in a red pickup. Authorities traced the call to the area of 7 Mile and Poison Spider roads. However, a search that night failed to turn up the truck.

Earlier that evening, Randel and Rolle were seen together at Butch's Bar in Evansville, according to investigators.

The next day, officers learned of a red pickup stuck in a ditch near Canal Road, a hilly area about four miles west of Poison Spider School. When they arrived, they allegedly found Rolle standing outside the truck.

After Rolle was taken into custody, officers found Randel's body in the truck. Authorities say Randel had been beaten and stabbed.

Citing publicity, Rolle's attorneys sought to move the trial from Natrona County. Judge Thomas Sullins denied the request.

The trial is expected to last three to four weeks.

Reach crime reporter Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.

TrialTracker

Last we knew: Judge Thomas Sullins decided on several motions in preparation for the murder trial of Donald Rolle.

The latest: The trial begins Monday in Natrona County District Court.

What's next: Attorneys expect the capital trial to last three to four weeks.

Other notable Wyoming capital cases

* Mark Hopkinson. The only person to be executed in Wyoming since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty. He was sentenced to death in 1979 and executed in 1992.

* James Martin Harlow. Charged with murdering a prison guard in 1997. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1998. However, after a federal judge ordered a new trial for him earlier this year, he accepted a plea agreement that included a life sentence.

* Martin Olsen. The Wyoming Supreme Court overturned Olsen's death sentence in 2003. A judge ultimately gave Olsen a life sentence for killing three people in a Worland Bar.

* Dale Wayne Eaton. Charged with raping and murdering 18-year-old Lisa Marie Kimmel. A Natrona County jury convicted him and sentenced him to death in 2004. The Wyoming Supreme Court recently denied his appeal.

* Andrew Yellowbear Jr. Convicted in 2006 of beating his 22-month-old daughter to death. Prosecutors sought the death penalty, but jurors decided he should serve life in prison instead.

* Floyd DeWayne Grady. A jury in 2006 spared Grady's life after convicting him of murdering a nurse at the Wyoming Honor Farm two years earlier.

On the Web

Visit www.trib.com/randel for daily updates on the Donald Rolle murder trial and more information on the Jennifer Randel case.