A jury has heard opening statements Monday in St. Charles County in the trial of a man charged with murder in the pursuit death of Missouri State Trooper James Bava.

Trooper James Bava was killed in a pursuit on August 28, 2015, near Mexico, Missouri.

Serghei Comerzan is charged with second degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and resisting arrest.

Prosecutors say Trooper Bava was killed in an August 2015 pursuit in central Missouri’s Audrain County.

Authorities say Comerzan was allegedly speeding on a motorcycle that Bava was chasing, when Bava crashed into a ditch. The incident happened near Mexico, Missouri.

The trial was moved from Audrain to St. Charles County on a change of venue. The jury is now hearing from prosecution witnesses.

Veteran Audrain County Prosecutor Jacob Shellabarger has a special assistant prosecutor from the Missouri Office of Prosecution Services (MOPS). Stephanie Watson is a traffic safety resource prosecutor.

Comerzan lived in Mexico at the time of the incident. He now lives in Sedalia, in west-central Missouri.