By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The trial is under way for a man accused of killing Kirkwood Police Sergeant William McEntee in July of 2005.
Kevin Johnson, 21, could face the death penalty if convicted.
During opening statements Wednesday morning, St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch told jurors that Johnson, upset over the death by natural causes of his younger brother, told an acquaintance he would kill the next officer he saw.
Johnson's 12-year-old brother Joseph "Bam Bam" Long died earlier that day after collapsing with a heart condition. Authorities say Johnson blamed police for the death.
McCulloch also says Johnson, from his jail cell, tried to arrange the murder of two witnesses.