A financial advisor strangled a La Jolla man in a plot to steal $7.5 million from him, a prosecutor told a jury on Nov. 8 as a murder trial opened in San Diego Superior Court. Kent Thomas Keigwin, 61, is accused of killing John G. Watson, 65, in his La Jolla home in June 2010. Keigwin, a certified public accountant, is also charged with the special circumstance of murder for financial gain, identity theft, forgery, burglary and with using Watson’s personal identification. Jury selection began Nov. 7 before Superior Court Judge Fred Link, during which attorneys questioned potential jurors. During opening statements, Deputy District Attorney Sharla Evert said the victim’s fingernails were scraped and DNA from Keigwin was found. Keigwin’s fingerprints were found on an interior doorknob, she said. Evert said Keigwin used Watson’s identification in February 2009 to open an account with Scottrade, an online brokerage firm. She said Keigwin also filed a change of address for Watson to a post office box and created a Yahoo account under Watson’s name. San Diego police officers were investigating Watson’s death three days after his body was discovered when Keigwin showed up at Watson’s residence at 6:30 a.m. in possession of keys to the home, an empty backpack that contained a surgical mask and empty bags, Evert said. Watson was a retired biotech executive and a board member of Tech Coast Angels, an investment group that provides money for startup companies. Keigwin’s attorney, Yahairah Aristy, told jurors the case was about fraud, not murder. “Things are not always what they seem. Listen with your common sense,” she said. Witnesses began testifying Nov. 9 in what is expected to be a three-week trial. Attorneys plan to call 39 witnesses. Keigwin has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody without bail.