Two of the four men accused in the capital murder of a Texarkana, Texas, man last year are scheduled for jury trials next month.
Anthony Wilson, 20; Jailon Gamble, 20; Marshall Vallejos, 23; and Jaquelle Rogers, 22, are accused of conspiring to rob Casey Smith on Mamie Street as he waited for his daughters' school bus March 29, 2016. One of the men allegedly waited behind the wheel of a getaway car nearby while the other three approached Smith.
The men allegedly believed Smith was in possession of drugs and demanded he hand over "everything he had," according to a probable cause affidavit used to create the following account. When Smith resisted, Vallejos allegedly shot him in the face. Wilson allegedly fired as well, accidentally striking Vallejos in the leg.
Wilson appeared Tuesday before 102nd District Judge Bobby Lockhart for a pretrial hearing with Chief Public Defender Rick Shumaker. Assistant District Attorney Kelley Crisp said the state is ready to pick a jury as scheduled in Wilson's case March 14. Lockhart scheduled the case for pretrial hearings March 7 and March 13.
Vallejos' case is scheduled for jury selection March 21, the week following Wilson's trial. Vallejos is represented by Texarkana lawyer Butch Dunbar, who was not in court for his client's pretrial hearing Wednesday before Lockhart because he was in a federal court out of state, Lockhart said. Lockhart scheduled a pretrial hearing for March 8 in Vallejos' case.
Gamble appeared Wednesday before Lockhart with Texarkana lawyer Joe Tyler. Gamble's case is scheduled for a pretrial hearing March 8. Rogers appeared Wednesday with Texarkana lawyer Bart Craytor. Lockhart scheduled Rogers to return to court for a pretrial hearing March 8 as well.
All four men were indicted by a Bowie County grand jury for capital murder and first-degree murder last year. If convicted of capital murder, the men face life without the possibility of parole as the state is not seeking the death penalty. First-degree murder is punishable by five to 99 years or life in a Texas prison.