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Trial Begins for 5 Alleged Members of Gang ‘Homicide Squad’

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Jury selection is set to begin in the trials of five alleged trigger men for a decades-old central Ohio gang.

The Columbus Dispatch reports proceedings begin Monday in U.S. District Court.

Prosecutors say they are members of the Short North Posse’s “homicide squad,” responsible for 11 of 14 murders tied to the group. They’re among 10 remaining people who have refused to strike plea deals with the government. The other five go on trial in July and September.

Judge Algenon Marbley has tightened security for the trial. He has banned cellphones in and around his courtroom and U.S. Marshals are beefing up their presence. The trial could last three months.

Everyone else charged in a 2014 racketeering indictment has pleaded guilty, except one man who died.