LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The trial has begun for a Lima man charged in a 2020 murder, where the victim was found in a suitcase buried in a Lima city park.
31-year-old Melvin Boothe is facing charges of aggravated murder, tampering with evidence, gross abuse of a corpse, and possessing criminal tools. He is accused of killing 25-year-old McKenzie Butler. She and Boothe had a dating history. Butler's body was found in Martin Luther King Jr. Park back in June 2020.
A jury was sat Monday afternoon and they heard from Boothe's ex-wife, who tipped off police to the incident. The defense tried to get a mistrial declared because of unrelated information to the case that came out during her testimony. Judge Terri Kohlrieser ruled against that. The trial will resume on Tuesday and is expected to go on until the middle of the week.
