Prosecutors will begin calling witnesses and introducing evidence Tuesday as the murder trial of Dequan McKethan gets underway in New London Superior Court.

The 37-year-old former Norwich resident is accused of fatally shooting Darius Bishop, 28, whose body was found on Sept. 25, 2012, at the Ray Hayward Memorial Field in Bozrah. A jury of 12 regular members and four alternates will hear the case, which is expected to last three or four weeks.

The trial was scheduled to begin Monday, but jury selection resumed, instead, after two jurors who had been seated earlier this summer notified the court they were unable to serve. A full panel was seated by the afternoon, and Judge Barbara Bailey Jongbloed said the trial would begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

The state contends that McKethan and Bishop were seen together and had multiple cellphone contacts in the hours before Bishop was found with a gunshot wound to the head. Norwich police pulled him over two days after the shooting and said they found him with narcotics and a .22-caliber Beretta pistol that was later tied to the shooting through forensic testing. The police said they stopped McKethan within 300 feet of the Bills Avenue address where they had found Bishop’s car.

Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Lawrence J. Tytla and Senior Assistant State’s Attorney David J. Smith are prosecuting the case. Defense attorney John T. Walkley is representing McKethan.

In taking the case to trial, McKethan rejected the state’s offer to plead guilty in exchange for a 40-year prison sentence. He is charged with murder, possession of narcotics and possession of a pistol without a permit and faces up to 72 years in prison if convicted.

k.florin@theday.com

Twitter: @KFLORIN