A Richmond County jury began hearing evidence Monday in the case of an Augusta man accused of kidnapping 38-year-old Corwin Lee from the Augusta Super Inn two years ago.

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In his opening statement, Assistant District Attorney Philip Catalano described how a night of partying on Dec. 23, 2007, led to a drug deal that culminated in Lee's death and the discovery of his burned body a few days later in South Carolina.

Victor Scott, who was 18 at the time of the killing, has pleaded not guilty to gun and kidnapping charges. He and his co-defendant, Javell Gordon, are accused of beating Lee, wrapping him in a sheet and stuffing him in the back of a car they rented from a local crack addict.

Both men have been charged with murder in Aiken County because investigators say they drove the victim to a wooded area near the Fifth Street Bridge in North Augusta and shot him.

Taking the stand, the victim's brother Jermarol Lee told the court that he had purchased a new corduroy jacket and pants and a pair of Durango boots for his brother to thank him for helping Jermarol Lee complete a how-to video about hairstyles.

He brought the gifts to his brother's room at the Augusta Super Inn, and he and the victim began a night of partying at the nearby Club 3000.

Four days later, a golf course mechanic found the partially burned body of the victim, wearing the outfit.

Jermarol Lee described his last night with the victim this way:

The two returned to their room at the Augusta Super Inn about 1:30 a.m. A short time later, the victim and another man went to buy marijuana from the accused, he said. About five minutes after that, Jermarol Lee said, he heard gunshots.

Frightened, he asked a woman who had been with his brother whether his brother was OK, and she told him he had run away from the motel. Over the next several hours, Jermarol Lee searched frantically for his brother, handing out small cash payments to known drug dealers and prostitutes in an attempt to get information.

One of them took him to a dumpster, where he found a bloody blanket.

"I was hoping for the best but preparing for the worst," he said.

Defense attorney Rahmeen Bowick questioned the state's case -- saying that much of the information Jermarol Lee relied on came from questionable sources. Bowick told the jury during his opening statement that the case was a matter of "perspective" -- saying the police and Jermarol Lee had formed an opinion of the events that led to Scott but that it was not based on fact.

Scott's trial continues today.