The jury selection for the Dystiny Myers murder trial will begin in mid-January, Judge Barry LaBarbera said in a pretrial hearing Monday.

Earlier this month, LaBarbera ruled that there would be one trial but two juries for all the defendants, including the death-penalty case of defendant Ty Michael Hill of Santa Maria. 

Attorneys will select a jury for Hill first. If he is convicted, that jury will continue to hear the death-penalty phase of his trial.

The selection of that jury is anticipated to take up to 11 court days, LaBarbera said.

All five defendants are charged with killing Myers, a 15-year-old Santa Maria girl whose body was found beaten and burned near Santa Margarita on Sept. 26, 2010.