Forty-nine-year-old Keith A. Reber is charged with homicide in the May 2012 death of 26-year-old Bryan R. Smith. The trial is slated to begin Monday.
Authorities say Reber and 26-year-old Daniel W. Dull took Smith to a secluded wooded area and bound him to a tree. Police allege Reber returned around 11 p.m. and found Smith dead, with his face in the dirt.
The Republican-Herald reports investigators say Reber was punishing Smith for allegedly stealing from his girlfriend.
Prosecutors say Dull, who's also charged with homicide, will be a prosecution witness against Reber. They say his case will be concluded after Reber's trial.
___
Information from: Pottsville Republican and Herald, http://www.republicanherald.com
