Brandon Phillips jury selection begins: What you need to know

Jurors are being selected at Newfoundland and Labrador's Supreme Court in St. John's today forthe trial of Brandon Phillips.

There are 215 potential jurors and many were seenlined up in front of the downtown courthouse throughout the morning, and a temporary tent wasset up outside the building to protect them from windy and cold weather as they waited.

The selection process, which could take up to two days, will end with 12 jurors being selected along withtwo alternatives.

Phillips, now 29, is alleged to have fatally shot Larry Wellman, 63, during an armed robbery at the Captain's Quarters Hotel in St. John's on Oct. 3, 2015.

Wellman was a patron at the downtown hotel bar at the time of the shooting, and intervened in the robbery.

The incident was captured by the bar's surveillance cameras.

"He had a large gun and she (the bartender) gave him the cash, but apparently he didn't seem to be satisfied with the amount and was pushing her more aggressively," Captain's Quarters owner Marcel Etheridge told CBC News at the time.

Police were called shortly before midnight.Wellmandied en route to hospital.

In the days following Wellman's death, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary released a still image from the surveillance video, in an attempt to locate the person responsible for the killing.

A week-long manhunt began. The search focused onthe Signal Hill/Quidi Vidi area, and involvedground searchers and a helicopter.

Phillips was arrested a week after the shooting, on Oct. 10, 2015, and was charged with first-degree murder.He's been in custody at Her Majesty's Penitentiary ever since.

Who was Larry Wellman?

Wellman had only just arrived in St. John's a few days before his death. He wason turnaround from his job in Labrador.

• Larry Wellman's daughter after fatal shooting: 'I'm proud of him'

He was joining his spouse, Linda McBay, who had recently retired, on a house hunt.

He left behind a daughter, a son,six grandchildren, and numerous friends and family members.

'Private, family matter'

The case took apolitical turn when it was revealed that Jade Ballwas dating Phillips around the same time.

She is the daughter ofDwight Ball, who was just weeks awayfrom being elected premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.

• Dwight Ball says daughter's connection to accused killer Brandon Phillips a family issue

Jade Ball was reportedly living at a home with Phillips on Quidi Vidi Road, which was searched by police. It's also wherePhillips was arrested.

Phillips was placed on a no-contact order with a number of people, including Jade Ball.

The two are no longer together.

"It's my daughter, she's 29 years old," Dwight Ball told Here & Now in November 2015, one month after the shooting.

"This is an issue right now that's under investigation is an ongoing investigation and really of course I'm there to support my daughter as I always would."

Outside prosecutors

Two Crown prosecutors from Nova Scotia have been brought in to avoid what the justice department in Newfoundland and Labradorcalleda potential conflict of interest.

Public Prosecutions for Newfoundland and Labrador declined to identify the potential conflict at the time, stressing that the case was before the courts.

Mark Heerema and Shauna MacDonald are the Crown attorneys.

Phillips is being represented by two well-known lawyers Jeff Brace and MarkGruchy who also representedLyndonButler and PhilipPynn, respectively, during their second-degree murder trial in 2014.

Justice Valerie Marshall will oversee the trial.

In addition to first-degree murder, Phillipsis also charged with armed robbery, committing an offence while disguised, assault with a weapon, and carrying a firearm without a licence.

Phillips is also facing unrelated charges ofpossession of fentanyl, heroin and marijuana atHer Majesty's Penitentiary onMay 26.

He is the sonof convicted killerEric James Squires, who was sent to prison in 1998 for the first-degree murderof Nina Walsh.

Want to follow the latest from the case? Check out our live blog.