Opening statements and testimony began this morning in the trial of a Washington County man accused of beating to death a friend and another person above a bar in Donora.

Eugene Joseph Nagy, 30, of Donora, is facing charges including two counts of first-degree murder, robbery, theft and tampering with evidence in the Sept. 11, 2007, murders of Vince W. Trotta, 47, and Yvonne M. Helton, 40.

During opening statements this morning before Judge Debbie O'Dell Seneca, Assistant District Attorney Michael Lucas told the jury of seven women and five men that prosecutors have DNA and other evidence linking Mr. Nagy to the "brutal murders."

They theorize that Mr. Nagy bludgeoned the pair with a two-by-four so he could rob Mr. Trotta, a contractor who Mr. Nagy occasionally worked for, of about $2,000 he'd recently earned for a roofing job in Nottingham.

Mr. Lucas said the murders occurred after the three engaged in a night of partying and sex in Mr. Trotta's second-floor apartment above Phat Dawgs Bar and Grill on Meldon Avenue.

Defense lawyer Dennis Paluso said there is DNA evidence linking other people to the crime scene, and he said his client did not commit the murders. Mr. Trotta and Ms. Helton were found naked on Mr. Trotta's bed amid pools of blood and small wood fragments.

If convicted, Mr. Nagy could face two life terms in prison. Prosecutors had originally sought the death penalty but withdrew that request after discussions with the victims' families and police.

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