Natasha McShane, who was beaten in 2010 Chicago mugging, kept in the dark as 'attacker' goes on trial Natasha McShane and Stacy Jurich were brutally beaten with a baseball bat in April 2010 as they headed home after a night of dancing McShane can no longer walk or talk and needs around-the-clock care Their alleged attacker, Heriberto Viramontes, will go on trial this week McShane's parents and siblings will attend the trial - but have vowed not to tell her in case it brings back memories A Northern Irish exchange student who was left with life-changing brain injuries, after she was beaten with a baseball bat in a 2010 mugging in Chicago, does not know her attacker's trial is beginning. Natasha McShane's family in Silverbridge, County Armagh, have decided not to tell the 27-year-old woman - who was left unable to walk or talk - about the trial in case it brings back too many memories of the horrific attack. Jury selection in the case begins on Tuesday. Her alleged attacker, 34-year-old Heribeto Viramontes, faces 25 felony counts, including armed robbery and attempted murder. Victim: Natasha McShane, 27, is unable to walk or talk after she was brutally beaten with a baseball bat in Chicago in 2010. Her family have decided to keep her in the dark about her alleged attacker's trial 'We wouldn't say that to her, in case it brings back memories,' her father Liam McShane told the Chicago Tribune. 'Maybe someday if she can get better, she'll have to know. But I don't feel that I have to tell her now.' Natasha was a student when she and her friend Stacy Jurich were attacked by a bat-wielding robber as they walked home after a night of dancing at 3.30am on April 23, 2010. Viramontes allegedly smacked both women across the head with a baseball bat before taking off with their purses and jumping in a car driven by his accomplice, Marcy Cruz, 28. Cruz, who pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder and received a sentence of 22 years earlier this year, told prosecutors Viramontes had spoken about committing a robbery that night. She parked and he jumped out of the van and returned with the purses five minutes later, she said. Jurich needed 15 staples in her head but survived the brutal attack with lesser injuries than her friend, who is now unable to walk or speak and must be cared for by her parents around the clock. Accused: Heriberto Viramontes, 34, allegedly struck both girls in the head with a baseball bat before stealing their purses. His accomplice Marcy Cruz, right, has already been sentenced to 22 years Struggle: The victim's parents Sheila and Liam McShane, pictured in June 2010, now care for their daughter around the clock. They will be attending the trial with her two siblings but will not tell her Her father said her endurance has improved and she now goes to physical therapy three times a week. He said she particularly loves the pool, with the help of a special lift that lowers her wheelchair. 'She loves the pool,' he told the Tribune. You know from her face, her eyes and her smile. They must still cut her food and she is unable to tell them when she needs the bathroom. She has gained weight because of her lack of mobility and can only say 'Sinn' - the Gaelic word for 'we' or 'us'. Her injuries will be detailed by her mother Sheila when the trial begins and the jury will see a video of Natasha. The footage shows her trying to walk, drinking from a cup and attempting to stand. After defense attorneys argued that the video could be prejudicial, Cook County Judge Jorge Alonso said he would allow all the footage - except one part showing her trying to put pegs in a pegboard. He said that clip, taken shortly after the attack, was 'the most disturbing one'. Injured: Stacy Jurich, left, was also hurt in the attack with Natasha, right. Jurich needed 15 staples in her head and although she has returned to work, she said her cognitive abilities have been greatly affected Support: An image shows a get well soon card for Natasha at a fundraiser after the 2010 beating in Chicago 'The difference between Ms McShane as a graduate student in Chicago, as she was at the time of the incident, and her life in Ireland could not be starker,' court documents said. McShane's mother, father and two siblings will attend the trial but do not plan on telling her anything about it. The trial has been delayed for three years due to legal wrangling over DNA evidence. Defense attorneys are expected to say that Viramontes has been misidentified and did not rob the two girls. They may call a witness who phoned police eight hours after the attack to say they had seen a black man with a baseball bat a mile from the scene. Viramontes is Hispanic.