Jury selection began Monday in the re-trial a man accused of murdering Miami Police Officer Victor Estefan in 1988.

The new trial comes 22 years after Dennis Escobar, 52, and his brother Douglas, were first convicted and sentenced to die for the murder.

But the Florida Supreme Court tossed out the convictions in 1997, saying the trial judge should have allowed the brothers to be tried separately.

Investigators say Dennis Escobar shot and killed Estefan, a 22-year police veteran, during a traffic stop in Little Havana in March 1988. His brother, Douglas Escobar, 53, the alleged driver, is awaiting trial.

The brothers have already been sentenced to life in prison in California for the attempted murder of highway troopers there.

Dennis Escobar, if convicted, faces the death penalty. Also Monday, Miami-Dade Judge Leon Firtel declined a defense request to sequester the jury for the duration of the trial.