Governor’s trial hinges on photo that may or may not exist

For all of the sensational allegations in the invasionof-privacy case against Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens - an extramarital affair, bondage, blackmail - the verdict may come down to the technical workings of the iPhone, the definition of “transmissio,” and the whereabouts of a photo that may or may not exist.

Jury selection begins Thursday in the felony case against the 44-year-old Republican, who is accused of taking an unauthorized photograph of a blindfolded and partially naked woman while she was bound to exercise rings in his basement in 2015, before he was elected.

The woman, a hairdresser with whom Greitens has admitted having an affair, told investigators she saw a flash through the blindfold and heard what sounded like a photo being taken. Greitens allegedly told her, “You’re never going to mention my name, otherwise there will be pictures of (you) everywhere.”

The woman, whose name has not been released, said she became upset and that Greitens told her he deleted the picture.

The trial could prove to be like a murder case without a body: Prosecutors acknowledged in court Monday they have not found such a photo. And Greitens has repeatedly declined to say if he took a picture.