Now that cable news has figured out that dramatic murder trials bring ratings, its operators are always on the lookout for the next "trial of the century."  Key elements include sex, money, sex, glamour, sex, status, sex, and sex.

But what if the sex is homosexual male sex?  And what if the story could get really icky?  On the one hand, the media insist that homosexual sex is exactly the same as heterosexual sex.  But on the other hand, nothing that reflects negatively on homosexuals can be allowed to reach the public's delicate eyes and ears, lest they form any unfavorable opinions that might be "homophobic."

So what is going to happen when this trial gets underway?  Megan Crapeu writes in the Chicago Tribune:

A former Northwestern professor and an Oxford University employee charged in a bizarre stabbing of a 26-year-old man both pleaded not guilty Thursday to first-degree murder charges.

Wyndham Lathem, 43, and Andrew Warren, 57, entered the formal pleas to their indictment in the Leighton Criminal Court Building, court records show.

Andrew Warren and Wyndham Lathem.

While academic glamour and status may not quite equal O.J. Simpson's status as a Hollywood and NFL celebrity, Northwestern and Oxford Universities are two of the world's most prestigious seats of higher learning.  And a 26-year-old lover, a generation younger than the accused murderers, may not have the glamour of Nicole Brown Simpson, but I bet he was no ugly duckling.  In other words, there are plenty of ingredients for titillation and ratings, should the cable nets desire to hype the story.

Prosecutors said last month that Lathem and Warren stabbed Lathem's boyfriend, Trenton Cornell-Duranleau, 70 times in Lathem's Near North Side high-rise to fulfill a bizarre sexual fantasy.

They fled the city, prosecutors said, leading authorities on a nationwide manhunt until the two surrendered in California more than a week later. They were brought back to Chicago and ordered held without bail.

Stabbing 70 times is a crime of passion.  That means there is a backstory.  A mystery.

The two had communicated online for months before Lathem paid for Warren to fly to Chicago, prosecutors alleged. Prosecutors said that Lathem "lured" Cornell-Duranleau to his apartment, then attacked him as he slept.

Those communications no doubt will feature prominently in the trial, especially because:

Both men have admitted to the slaying, prosecutors said. Warren confessed to police, and Lathem sent a video to family and friends admitting to the killing, according to prosecutors.

Boy, those not guilty pleas must have a heckuva story behind them.  I bet it is really interesting.

So this trial could be a test case for the media in their willingness to frankly discuss passions, sex, and violence among homosexual lovers.