Trial begins in Tulsa murder case

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – Jurors are preparing to hear opening statements in a trial for an Oklahoma man accused of first-degree murder and a hate crime in the slaying of his Lebanese neighbor.

Stanley Vernon Majors is expected to be in a Tulsa courtroom when his trial resumes Monday in district court. The 63-year-old is accused in the August 2016 killing of 37-year-old Khalid Jabara.

Prosecutors say Majors fatally shot Jabara after bombarding him and his family for years with racial epithets, including “filthy Lebanese” and “Moo-slems.” The Jabaras are Christian.

Majors has pleaded not guilty. His attorneys have indicated they’ll present a defense based on his mental health, though Majors was previously found competent to stand trial.

A jury of nine men and five women, including two alternates, was selected Friday.