Rodney Laudell Mason Jr. stands accused in the March 2008 stabbing death of Timothy Wayne Sanchez, 18, Odessa.

Jury selection began this morning, with opening remarks set for early this afternoon, 118th District Attorney Hardy L. Wilkerson said.

Wilkerson will represent the state in the trail, while Mason will be defended by Midland attorney Steve Stallings.

Sanchez, was found stabbed to death late on the evening of March 15, 2008 about 12 miles south of Stanton on Highway 137, said Keith Burnett, Glasscock County Sheriff.

Deputies received a 911 call at 9:46 p.m. in reference to a person being hit by an automobile. When they arrived at the scene, they found Sanchez lying by the roadway, Burnett said.

“The caller initially thought it was a deer that had been hit,” Burnett said a few days after the murder. "When he turned around to get a closer look, he discovered that it was a human body.”

Sanchez was declared dead at the scene and a subsequent autopsy determined cause of death to be from multiple stab wounds.

The murder victim had last been seen driving a 1997 Dodge Neon, which was found the next day parked in the 1500 block of South Grant in Odessa. Mason was arrested a few weeks later.

This marks the first murder trial to occur in Garden City since the early 1960s, officials said.

If found guilty, Mason could be sentenced to a term of between five to 99 years or life in prison, Wilkerson said, adding that testimony is expected to last two days.

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it