After much delay, proceedings in the second-degree murder trial of Robert Baltovich began Monday as more than 200 potential jury members streamed into a makeshift courtroom.

Conducted inside a Toronto convention hall because of courthouse renovations, the massive group is expected to be whittled down to 12 by the end of the week.

Baltovich is accused of killing his girlfriend Elizabeth Bain, a University of Toronto student who disappeared in 1990 while heading to school. Her body was never found.

It will be the second time Baltovich has stood trial on the charges. In 2004, the Appeal Court overturned the original lower court decision.

A jury was expected to be chosen last October, but the jury pool was dismissed after the presiding judge was promoted to a higher court.

The trial is expected to take six to eight weeks and the Crown has indicated it may call as many as 50 witnesses.