PHOENIX - The murder trial begins Monday for a man charged with killing a couple almost six years ago at his Phoenix apartment and burying their bodies in a plywood box in his mother's backyard.
Prosecutors say Alan Champagne killed Philmon Tapaha and Brandi Nicole Hoffner at his apartment in July 2011.
Three months later, authorities say they received a tip that two people were killed in Champagne's apartment and that the person responsible for the deaths was named "Mico," which is Champagne's nickname.
But investigators were unable to locate the bodies until Champagne's mother was evicted and a landscaper working at her former home discovered the box.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Champagne.
This is not his first murder trial. In 2005, he was released from prison after serving 13 years for second degree murder.
The trial starts at 10:30 a.m.