Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the murder trial of Dao Xiong, a 20-year-old Oakdale resident accused of killing a man who was trying to sell his car on Craigslist nearly a year ago.

Xiong was originally charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the September slaying of You Lor, a 33-year-old father of four who had just moved with his family to St. Paul from Pennsylvania. A Washington County grand jury added an indictment against Xiong for first-degree murder, a more serious charge that includes premeditation, and set bail at $2 million.

He has been held in the Washington County jail.

Keng K. Thao, 20, of Maplewood, charged with second-degree murder in the case, also remains in custody awaiting trial scheduled for Oct. 31.

Washington County deputies found Lor about 2:15 p.m. on Sept. 9 lying in a ditch in the 8900 block of 55th Street N. in Lake Elmo. The road is off De Montreville Trail N., just south of Hwy. 36. A few homes and farms are nearby. The victim was found near Green Acres, a skiing and tubing area.

Passersby had seen a silver car with a maroon front speed away, then saw Lor and called for help. He was shot in the stomach and gasping for air, the complaint says. He was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators with the Washington County Sheriff's Office and the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension learned from Lor's wife, Katie, that he had been trying to sell a 2003 Nissan 350Z, a sports car valued at $17,000, on Craigslist.

Witnesses, cellphone records and other evidence led investigators to Xiong, the complaint says, and items found in a search of his home -- including a .40-caliber handgun that he acknowledged was the murder weapon -- resulted in his arrest.

In a recorded statement to investigators, Xiong said he had contacted Lor about buying the car, but admitted he never intended to buy it, only steal the car for parts for his own Nissan 350Z.

According to the complaint, Xiong said he was familiar with the Lake Elmo area, and took it there during his test drive, with Lor as a passenger. Xiong then drove to the isolated area and shot Lor, the complaint says, and took the car to his Oakdale home, where Thao had been waiting. The two stripped it.

The men then took Lor's car to Sunfish Lake Park in Lake Elmo, where they abandoned it. A custom-made carbon fiber hood for the vehicle, which bore the images of Lor's four children, had been removed, along with other parts. The roof and trunk were spray-painted black.

Both Xiong and Thao had served at Camp Ripley in the Minnesota National Guard.

Judge Ellen Maas will preside at the trial, which will held at Washington County District Court in Stillwater.

Jim Anderson • 651-735-0999