Trial Of Pamela Bennett Fails To Start; Re-Scheduled For March 2013
The fate of a Russell County woman charged with “Attempted Murder” won’t be known until next year.
The trial of Pamela Bennett did not begin as scheduled Wednesday in Russell Circuit Court. Bennett is accused of firing several shots from a rifle at Felicia Eads while she was inside a vehicle just moments before Eads was fatally shot by Pamela Bennett’s son, Trevor.
That shooting took place the night of November 2nd, 2010, in the driveway of a residence on Old Eli Road.
Trevor Bennett was charged with, and later pled guilty to, Manslaughter.
Proceedings didn’t begin on time Wednesday morning as only 49 of 85 jury members showed up. Circuit Judge Vernon Minniard, Jr. had court officials begin calling absent jury members. By 11 o’clock, only 10 additional jurors had arrived.
The process of screening prospective jurors got underway but the number of potential jury members dropped below 32, which is the number required in order for the Prosecution and Defense to begin issuing their allotted number of strikes to reach a panel of 12 jurors to hear the case.
Judge Minniard ceased the proceedings and re-scheduled Pamela Bennett’s trial for March 20th of next year.
A third person, 56 year old Virgis Ward, was indicted in May of this year on a charge of “Facilitation To Commit Murder” in Eads’ death.
