INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- Opening statements began Tuesday in Jackson County Circuit Court in the trial of a teenager charged with killing his best friend's mother in suburban Kansas City.

Eddie George, 18, is charged with first-degree murder in the July 2006 stabbing death of Pamela Marquez at her home in Grain Valley, Mo.

The woman's son, Taylor Marquez, is also charged with murder and is expected to go on trial this summer.

The victim's husband, Joe Marquez, was also attacked and suffered cuts on his throat and lip.

George and Taylor Marquez were arrested in Colorado a few days after the attacks.

Both were both 16 at the time and have been held without bond since the slaying.