SAVANNAH, Ga. — Almost one year after a 19-year-old debutante was fatally shot after leaving the Savannah Christmas Cotillion, opening statements are expected Thursday morning in the trial of three men accused in her murder.

Jennifer Ross was slain on Dec. 24, 2005, the same night of her presentment to members of Savannah's elite. The Mercer University student's death shocked residents in this popular tourist town, known as "Hostess City of the South."

But the incident also put a face on the city's crime rate, which has seen a steep rise in violent crimes and homicides in the past five years.

The fact that three black men were indicted in the white debutante's death also polarized racial tensions in the case, prompting members of Savannah's minority community to question why Ross' death received as much attention as it did.

Another group of citizens formed the public safety group "Save our Savannah" in response to Ross' death. The organization has lobbied the city for numerous public safety reforms, including a measure to install surveillance cameras in the town's historic district.

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But Chatham County prosecutors claim the trial of Michael Thorpe, 26, Webster Wilson, 25, and Kevin Huckabee, 21, is about a botched robbery that left Ross dead and her friend, Brett Finley, wounded.

The incident occurred in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve 2005, when Ross, the daughter of a prominent lawyer, went to celebrate her debut with friends.

As the group wandered the streets in search of a cab after the bars closed, they were approached by a group of men, two of whom were identified as white, according to witnesses.

What started as a robbery escalated into gunfire, with the three men fleeing the scene in a Ford Taurus. Ross was taken to a hospital where she died on New Year's Day, after three surgeries.

Prosecutors allege that though the defendants played different roles in the robbery, they were all involved in the shooting and are responsible for the murder.

Thorpe allegedly shot Ross while struggling for her purse, and prosecutors believe Wilson pistol-whipped Finley while fighting for his wallet. After the shootings, Huckabee allegedly drove the getaway vehicle.

Lawyers for the defendants, however, say their clients were wrongly accused by Thorpe's uncle, the state's key witness, in a ploy to avoid responsibility for his role in the incident.

In exchange for immunity and relocation out of the area, Sean Thorpe testified in a preliminary hearing that he was part of a plan to commit a robbery with his nephew and his two friends, and that he witnessed the robberies and the shooting.

The defendants face life in prison on charges of felony and malice murder, assault with a deadly weapon and intent to rob and possession of a firearm.

Huckabee and Thorpe face additional charges for allegedly committing the crimes with prior records for robbery and receiving stolen property.

The trial will be shown live at Court TV Extra.