Jury seated to hear murder trial in Covina woman's killing

POMONA - A jury of seven men and five women was seated this afternoon in the murder trial of a man accused of fatally stabbing his cousin's wife and leaving her body in a van parked near Pomona City Hall.

Witnesses reported seeing Joseph Gary Orta, 36, with Eileen Nicole Ponce-Orta in the days leading up to her death. Her body was discovered on Feb. 15, 2008.

Ponce-Orta, 22, of Covina, was reportedly having marital problems with her husband. The couple's relatives believed she and Orta, a recent parolee, may have had a romantic relationship, which was a possible factor in her killing.

When Pomona police found the van, they notified Ponce-Orta's relatives to pick it up. Officers had failed to notice Ponce-Orta's body inside. When the woman's family members arrived to pick up the van they found Ponce-Orta inside, wrapped in a blanket.

Jurors are set to hear opening statements from attorneys in the case Wednesday morning in Pomona Superior Court, Judge Bruce F. Marrs said. After attorneys give opening statements, the prosecution will call its first witnesses, Marrs said.