Jury seated in Nestande case

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A jury of nine men and three women has been seated in the trial of Gabrielle Nestande, who is accused of killing Courtney Griffin in May 2011.

Attorneys whittled down 85 potential jurors to just 12 people plus one alternate.

Opening statements will begin on Tuesday morning.

According to Assistant District Attorney Allison Wetzel, the defense will start with a motion to suppress several key items: Nestande's statement to police and a phone call she made to her sister.

The prosecution expected to call 12 witnesses on the first day of the trial.

The former Capitol aide faces three felony charges: failure to stop and render aid, manslaughter and intoxication manslaughter. She was in court Thursday for the final pretrial proceeding.

Since the deadly wreck in May 2011, the Griffin family has been very vocal about harsher penalties when it comes to these types of incidents.

Bart Griffin, Courtney's father, spoke with KXAN News after Thursday's hearing, saying the whole family has been waiting too long for justice.

"It's been over 20 months," said Griffin. "Everybody's ready for trial. We're ready to get this thing moving. We're ready for justice."

Authorities have said that Griffin died in the overnight hours and that her body was discovered at daylight.

Police said Nestande was identified as a suspect when her damaged car was found in a parking lot near the crash site in Austin's Tarrytown neighborhood.