Trial of Bryant Brewer begins in 2010 killing of CPD officer Thor Soderberg

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The trial of a man accused of murdering a Chicago police officer five years ago began Monday.

Prosecutors and lawyers for Bryant Brewer started presenting their cases at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in the death of Officer Thor Soderberg, killed in the parking lot of a South Side police station in 2010.

After many delays for a variety of reasons, Brewer finally is on trial five years after he was arrested for the murder of Officer Soderberg. After opening statements, prosecutors called their first witness, Soderberg's widow, Jennifer Loudon, and her testimony was brief.

Expecting to meet up with her husband for a volleyball game, Loudon testified Monday that on the morning of July 7, 2010, she told Soderberg she loved him and to have fun. The couple never made it to the game. Instead, the next time Loudon saw Soderberg was at the medical examiner's office.

Prosecutors say Brewer was out to get police. A neighbor testified that he heard Brewer singing a rap song about killing police minutes before Soderberg was killed.

Prosecutors contend that Brewer confronted Soderberg near his car as the officer was getting ready to leave work. The two men got into a fight and Brewer managed to get Soderberg's service revolver.

"Officer Soderberg was brutally executed by his own gun." Assistant State's Attorney Brian Sexton said.

Brewer's attorneys, however, say their client acted in self-defense. In opening statements, Brewer's public defender said Brewer was pistol-whipped by Soderberg.

The defense said what happened during the fight is key. Yet, no one saw it, nor was it captured on video tape. While two security cameras captured the minutes leading up to the murder and after, the footage during the fight and Soderberg's murder is missing.

The defense also said that Brewer's actions were not that of a full-blooded killer, but of someone who was mentally ill. Brewer's mental state will be an issue during the trial, as both sides plan on bringing medical experts to testify.

The trial is a bench trial, meaning the judge will decide Brewer's guilt or innocence.