Jury Selection Begins in Trial of Beau Zabel's Accused Killer

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) Jury selection began Monday for a murder that shook our city. Marcellus Jones is accused of shooting and killing Beau Zabel back in June of 2008. Beau was training to be a teacher in Philadelphia and was walking back from his summer job at the Starbucks on 4th and South Streets when he was shot in the neck.

The heartbroken parents of the murdered 23-year-old are talking only to FOX 29 about their horrific ordeal.

The parents of Beau Zabel say their quest for justice may soon come to an end inside a Philadelphia courtroom. 8 years after their son's death--they will come face-to-face with their son's accused killer

"I know evil exists in the world and that night he met up with evil personified," said his mother, Lana Hollerud.

The family of Beau Zabel are in town from Minnesota to begin what will be an agonizing 2 weeks. The trial of their son's accused killer.

"There is never going to be any closure. We're just going to think of him and miss him," Beau's aunt Cindy Seavey told FOX 29.

The 23-year-old aspiring math teacher had only been in Philadelphia for 6 weeks before being gunned down in South Philly while walking home from his job at Starbucks in June of 2008.

According to investigators, the motive was robbery. Police say 37- year-old Marcellus Jones killed Beau for his iPod. When police arrested Jones, he was already in prison serving a life sentence for the murder of the getaway driver.

"Beau is gone. Nothing is going to bring him back.The message to other people you can't go around doing this without being punished," said Cindy.

The family says time really hasn't healed the wounds. They say the world lost a shining star who wanted to devote his life to teaching children.

"They are just going to miss a wonderful guy who cared about others who would have given anybody anything that he had," said Beau's stepfather Terry Zabel.

"My daughter has never been the same.The rest of us have never been the same. To have a vital person like that snuffed out of the family you just can't imagine the ramifications," said Beau's aunt Sandy Chaby.

Zabels father says the only justice for his son would be the death penalty. That will be up to a jury--who will be seated sometime Tuesday