Zoe Hastings murder trial set to begin this week

DALLAS - A man goes on trial later this week for the kidnapping and murder of a young woman near White Rock Lake in Dallas.

Antonio Cochran is charged with killing 18-year-old Zoe Hastings. Police said he grabbed her in October of 2015 as she was leaving a drug store where she had dropped off a video.

Hastings’ body and minivan were later found dumped in a creek. DNA evidence collected at the crime scene reportedly links Cochran to the case.

Jurors were selected from a pool of about 3,000 people who answered a 19-page questionnaire months ago. Testimony is scheduled to begin Thursday morning.

If convicted, Cochran faces an automatic sentence of life in prison. Dallas County prosecutors will not seek the death penalty because he was diagnosed as mentally ill.