Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in Tampa in the trial of a man accused of murdering a retired doctor and his wife in their Avila home in 2012.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the trial of Julian Ospina-Florez, 35, who is accused of killing Dr. Hector Rivera and his wife Debra Rivera.
According to prosecutors, Ospina-Florez, who was Debra Rivera's driver and assistant, killed the couple because Debra Rivera accused him and others of stealing about $30,000 worth of items related to her business.
Investigators said costume jewelry and watches, including a Rolex, were found in Ospina-Florez's home a day after the murders.
Ospina-Florez has denied killing the couple, claiming he was attacked by a masked man before the murders, tied up and put in a bathroom.
Ospina-Florez was an assistant for Debra Rivera, who ran a jewelry business called Distinctive Creations.
On Jan. 9, 2012, the bodies of Dr. Hector Rivera, 76, and Debra Rivera, 55, were found at their home in the Avila subdivision in north Tampa. Dr. Rivera was found shot to death outside of the home while Debra was found dead inside.
The couple was shot to death the evening Debra Rivera and Ospina-Florez returned from a trade show in Sarasota.
Jury selection is expected to last through the week.