Jury selection to begin in Charlotte murder trial for woman found stabbed 130+ times, hidden in mattress

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jury selection begins Tuesday in the brutal 2020 murder of 20-year-old Mary Collins. Pretrial motions wrapped up Monday for suspects Lavi Pham and James Salerno. Both men have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping, and concealing a body.

Prosecutors say Collins, who lived with a cognitive disability, was lured to a NoDa apartment, stabbed over 130 times, and hidden inside a mattress.

The defense for Pham plans to argue voluntary intoxication during the six-week trial.