LUVERNE -- Jury selection is scheduled to start this morning in Rock County District Court for the trial of Randy LeeRoyal Swaney, 36, who is accused of the murder of state park worker Carrie Nelson.
Nelson was killed May 20, 2001, while working in the office at Blue Mound State Park, rural Luverne. This is thought to be the first time a state park worker has ever been killed in the line of duty.
A pack of cigarettes and pieces of a rock were found near Nelson's body, along with a watch with a broken band.
Approximately $2,000 in cash was missing from the office, as was a rock engraved with a buffalo and the words "Luverne, MN." The rock was later recovered in a stream more than a mile from the office building.
At the time, there were no suspects. Right around the five-year anniversary of Nelson's death, investigators sent a request for more information out to the public.
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On May 8, 2007 -- almost six years after Nelson was murdered -- a suspect's name was announced during a press conference in Luverne. Authorities said they had found a suspect. Swaney, who was in a South Dakota prison on an unrelated manner, was charged with second-degree murder.
A key piece of evidence had come to light -- DNA on the watch that had been left at the scene. Scientists had compared the DNA on the watch to an offender data base in South Dakota and come up with an alleged match. DNA was found on the watch matching that of both Swaney and his wife.
Court documents also indicate Swaney owned a car matching the description of a vehicle seen driving away from the park at the time of the murder -- a cream-colored, four-door vehicle.
By the time Swaney was scheduled to be released from the south Dakota prison, the State of Minnesota was ready to take him into custody. During a grand jury trial, Swaney was charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
He has spent more than a year in the Nobles County Jail awaiting trial, unable to make the $1 million bail. He had asked through his attorneys more than once that the bail be reduced to no avail.
Prosecuting for the state is Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Bill Klumpp, with assistance from Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank and Rock County Attorney Don Klosterbuer. Public defenders for the case include Louis Kuchera, John Scholl and Robert Docherty.
The trial is on the court calendar through Aug. 15.
