LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After several years and multiple delays, jury selection in the trial of an accused triple murderer is set to start Monday in Louisville.

Brice Rhodes is accused of shooting and killing 40-year-old Christopher Jones in May 2016. Later that month, he allegedly killed 14-year-old Larry Ordway and 16-year-old Maurice Gordon. Police have said Gordon and Ordway were killed at Rhodes' home in Clifton. Their bodies were dumped in the Shawnee neighborhood and set on fire.

Rhodes allegedly tied the two brothers up and made them beg for their life before stabbing them, according to an interview with a co-defendant. The two were allegedly killed because Rhodes was worried they might tell police about his involvement in Jones' murder.

Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Julie Kaelin ruled in April that Rhodes is competent to stand trial.

The competency hearing was unusual in many ways, including unsuccessful attempts by Rhodes' attorney Tom Griffiths to have several of Rhodes' previous attorneys testify about his conduct over the years, which include numerous outbursts and threats.

Rhodes has a history of violent and profane outbursts in court, threatening at least one judge, accusing a prosecutor and another judge of having an affair, lashing out at several of his attorneys and calling court officials racists or members of the KKK. 

In October, Kaelin ruled that Rhodes is ineligible for the death penalty, saying he has a documented history of serious mental illness or intellectual disability and "this is not a close case" as to whether he is eligible for the death penalty.

In court Friday morning, Kaelin told Rhodes that he will be removed from court or shocked by an ankle cuff if he is disruptive during his trial starting next week.

Kaelin said she didn’t expect to have to resort to either measure given Rhodes has not had an outburst during court since she took over the case from a previous judge in January.

"I've not had any problems with you Mr. Rhodes," Kaelin said, adding that he won't be shackled during the trial and will wear regular clothes, so jurors don't know he is incarcerated. 

But if he does cause a disruption, Kaelin said she will remove the jury and give Rhodes the option to stay in court with an ankle cuff that deputies can use to shock him or remove him altogether. 

"I'm not going to make you wear it," she said. "You will be given the choice of staying in the courtroom with that device on" or not being in court. "But again, I don't have any reason to think there's going to be a problem. ... I think you want this trial over with, too."

Rhodes did not respond to the judge's warning. 

The prosecutor in the case, Elizabeth Jones Brown, said she could not remember another local case where a a stun cuff was used. 

Rhodes' attorneys did not argue against the stun cuff or his possible removal from the courtroom. 

Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Monday. Opening statements are expected to begin Tuesday or Wednesday with the trial not expected to wrap up until January.

The high-profile case has been pending since 2016 and was scheduled for trial in January 2022 before Rhodes' defense asked for a competency evaluation.

Because of a statewide backlog, it took KCPC more than a year to evaluate Rhodes on whether he is competent to stand trial or should be eligible for the death penalty.

Rhodes is being held on a $1 million full cash bond.

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