ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – The trial for a man accused of murdering his wife and dumping her body in the Mississippi River is set to begin Thursday in St. Paul.
Opening statements are scheduled for Thursday in the trial of Jeffery Trevino, who is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the death of Kira Steger. A 14-member jury was finalized as Wednesday.
Steger was reported missing back in February after she didn’t show up for work at the Mall of America. About three months later, authorities found her body in the Mississippi River.
According to charges filed in the case, Trevino knew about a romantic relationship that his wife was having with another man. Police said Kira and Trevino were at the Mall of America, where she worked, having dinner on Feb. 21. That was the last time she was seen alive.
On that day, police learned Kira had exchanged numerous text messages with another man who was on his way to Colorado. At the time of the text messages, he was in South Dakota. Police said based on the text messages, it was evident that Kira and this other man had engaged in a romantic relationship.
Authorities also learned that inside Kira’s purse, which was found in her abandoned vehicle at the Mall of America, there were blank court divorce forms, which looked to be downloaded from the internet.
Jeffery Trevino has been in custody ever since police found blood spatter in the couple’s bedroom, and Kira’s DNA in the trunk of her car, and in Keller Lake near their home.
It’s unclear at this point if Trevino will testify in the trial, which is expected to last about three weeks.
