Jury seated in sex abuse trial of former candidate
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"Symbiosis" rises on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway last year as installers scramble over the sculpture, adjusting the stainless steel branches to the artist's exact specifications. (NewsWorks file photo)
A jury has been selected in the trial of a former state Senate candidate who is accused of repeatedly molesting a boy more than 20 years ago.
The 7-woman, 5-man jury was seated Thursday in the trial of 55-year-old Eric Bodenweiser. Opening statements were to being on Friday.
After winning an upset victory over an incumbent in a 2012 GOP primary, the tea party-backed Bodenweiser suspended his campaign, then dropped out of the race. He was indicted a few days later on multiple counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and unlawful sexual contact.
Prosecutors allege that Bodenweiser committed the crimes between October 1987 and August 1990.
Bodenweiser declined a final plea offer from prosecutors last week. He could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted on all charges.