Jury selection continued in Hampshire Superior Court in Northampton, Massachusetts Tuesday at the trial of Cara Rintala. Rintala is charged with the first-degree murder of her wife, Annamarie Rintala in 2010. The trial has garnered media attention as the first murder case in the state between a married same-sex couple.

Last week, Cara Rintala’s defense attorney David Hoose attempted to have an evidentiary hearing closed to the press, arguing that allowing possible evidence to be publicized could influence potential jurors. That motion was denied by Judge Mary Lou Rup. Northampton-based defense attorney Marissa Elkins says Hoose’s request was reasonable.

“With a hearing like that coming so close in time to when the jury trial was going to start, I do think there was some greater risk that everyday readers, just glancing at the newspaper, would see, and hear, and read about evidence that could have been excluded.”

Elkins says the Rintala case is similar to many others of domestic violence and abuse.

“It was only a matter of time before a case like this came before some court in Massachusetts, or some other state where gay marriage was legal.”

Gay marriage has been legal In Massachusetts since 2004. Jury selection is expected to continue this week. According to masslive.com, Judge Rup has told potential jurors the trial could last up to a month.