Pretrial hearings are becoming more frequent as the October trial date for a father facing capital murder charges in the beating death of his 2-year-old daughter draws near.

Neil Patrick DeWitt, 38, and Latoya Smith, 26, appeared Monday before Bowie County District Judge Leon F. Pesek, Jr.

“One of the things we need to go on and discuss is whether you all have a questionnaire yet,” Pesek said to DeWitt’s and Smith’s defense attorneys.

Pesek was referring to a written list of questions prospective jurors will be asked to answer to determine if they are eligi...

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