The wheels of justice are finally turning Wednesday almost a year after the brutal murder of a North Salem teenager.

Pretrial hearings began in the murder trial of 28-year-old Ariel Menendez. According to police, Menendez raped, strangled and stabbed to death his ex-girlfriend, 17-year-old Elizabeth Butler, on June 5, 2005. Prosecutors say Menendez went into a jealous rage when Butler tried to break up with him. Butler?s parents found her body in the family?s SUV in the parking lot of the deli where she worked in Croton Falls.

State police say Menendez confessed to choking and stabbing Butler. He faces life in prison if convicted.

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