NATION IN BRIEF : MARYLAND : Trial Starts for Youth in Fatal Carjacking

A teen-ager was alternately portrayed during trial in Ellicott City, Md., as an active participant and an innocent passenger in the deadly carjacking that prompted Congress and many states to pass laws dealing with the violent form of auto theft. Bernard Miller, 17, is charged with murder, kidnaping, robbery and felony theft in the Sept. 8 death of Pam Basu, 34, who was dragged behind her car for more than a mile after her car was stolen at gunpoint. Miller and Rodney Solomon, 27, both of Washington, D.C., face identical charges. Defense attorney Laurack Bray said in his opening statement that Miller was present when Basu was killed but “presence does not connote guilt.”