HOUSTON — It was a crime that stunned all of Houston six years ago when 11-year-old Josue Flores was stabbed repeatedly while walking home from school.
The trial of Andre Jackson, Josue's accused killer, began Monday with opening arguments.
The little boy wasn't far from his home in May of 2016 when his killer attacked him and stabbed him more than 20 times, according to Houston police.
The corner of Fulton and James is still linked to the vicious crime and photos of Josue still line the place where he died.
EXTENSIVE COVERAGE: Josue Flores case
'We cannot forget'
His death led to changes to protect other children.
"This community has been waiting a long time," said Stella Mireles, who founded Safe Walk Home after Josue was killed.
She says the case is still fresh in community's heart and they will never forget Josue.
"I always see his face," Mireles said. "We cannot forget."
But a conviction won't be easy, according to KHOU 11 legal analyst Carmen Roe. There have been issues with the investigation from the beginning.
"It's unusual to spend six years before you get to trial," Roe said. "In this case, they had an alternate suspect they released, charged Jackson. released him for no evidence and recharged him. So we're going to trial on a case that has a long and troubled history."
RELATED: Andre Jackson, suspect in Josue Flores' killing, gives note to KHOU in exclusive jailhouse interview
She said seasoned attorneys on both sides will have plenty to go back and forth on, but the case may hinge on DNA evidence that police say links Jackson to the murder.
"This is going to be a real time forensic files case right here in Houston," Roe said. "Whether or not that DNA evidence will be enough to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt is going to be a question and a fight that will go on for the next several weeks."
Timeline: Andre Jackson murder case
The first man arrested in connection with Josue's murder was later freed and charges were dropped when an alibi proved he wasn't there.
Less than a month later, in June of 2016, police arrested Jackson and charged him with killing the little boy.
HPD said multiple surveillance cameras showed a man matching Jackson’s description running in the area at the time.
Those charges were later dropped in July 2017 after DNA results came back inconclusive. Ogg said at the time there wasn’t enough evidence to withhold a conviction.
But Jackson never left HPD’s radar.
Former Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said he kept a photo of Josue at his bathroom sink as a reminder to keep fighting for the 11-year-old and his family.
“It was such a brutal, nonsensical, absolutely no-excuses homicide,” Acevedo said in May. To the killer, Acevedo said: “We’re going to get you. I can guarantee that this department is not going to give up.”
In 2019, Acevedo said the department was sending DNA evidence to a lab in Florida that has techniques to extract DNA from evidence that local and state labs don’t.
Jackson was arrested again in in June of that year. In a jailhouse interview shortly after his arrest, Jackson told KHOU 11 that he was framed because the case had gone cold.
Jackson said no DNA evidence was recovered linking him to Josue following his first arrest and believes any evidence gathered later was planted.
Neither Ogg nor other law enforcement officials would expand on the evidence that allegedly linked Jackson to the murder. Ogg said the evidence will be presented extensively at trial.
Now that his trial is finally about to begin, Mireles said they're hopeful.
"There's going to be closure. That's what I hope for the family," she said.