Opening Statements for Granat and Wyma Set for Wednesday

PALOS PARK, IL -- The jury has been selected for a former Bridgeview man who is accused of participating in a double murder along with three other youths when he was a high school student five years ago, with opening statements set for Wednesday morning.

Christopher Wyma is facing 78 counts of murder, home invasion and robbery. Prosecutors said that Wyma helped co-defendant John Granat bludgeon and stab his parents -- John and Maria Granat -- to death in their Palos Park home on Sept. 11, 2011. The couple were believed to have been asleep when the alleged attack happened.

A third co-defendant, Ehab Qasem, 24, is expected to testify against his two former friends. A fourth man, Mohammed Salahat, pleaded guilty to one count of murder in exchange for a 35-year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The case received global coverage when John and Maria Granat’s bodies were discovered in their blood-soaked bedroom, and the shocking arrest of their only child charged with their deaths.

The men, who are now 22, are being tried together but with separate juries. Opening statements will be taken in alphabetical order, with opening statements for Granat going up first, followed by Wyma on Wednesday morning.

During certain parts of the testimony, a jury may asked to leave the room testimony does not apply to their particular defendant. The juries will also deliberate the fates of both men separately.

Opening statements for Wyma were postponed on Tuesday and moved to Wednesday when a Granat juror was dismissed due to a family emergency. An alternate juror has been seated.

The trial will start at 9 a.m. in the Fifth Municipal District Courthouse in Bridgeview.

Follow Patch for continued updates throughout the Granat-Wyma trial.