Cape Girardeau murder trial pushed back to September

An Illinois man charged with murder in the 2010 shooting death of Matthew "Woody" Ervin will wait another six months before his case is heard by a jury.

Thomas D. Evans, 21, accused of killing Ervin last June, is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. His jury trial will now begin Sept. 7 in Butler County. Circuit Court Judge Benjamin F. Lewis will still preside over the case.

At a hearing in February, the prosecution and Evans' defense attorney, Stephen Walsh, agreed the case will be tried in Butler County with a jury from the same area. The original trial date, April 27 and 28, wasn't open in Butler County, according to Evans' case file on Missouri Case.net.

A motion hearing Thursday at the Common Pleas Courthouse in Cape Girardeau was canceled.

Seven witnesses testified at Evans' preliminary hearing in September, linking him to the crime via a set of keys found in Ervin's car, which was searched at the scene. Ervin was found dead in the street near Fountain Street and Park Drive in Cape Girardeau. The keys later led authorities to Evans' residence on Themis Street in Cape Girardeau.

Several officers also testified about finding blood on a pair of Evans' tennis shoes, which matched a DNA sample taken from Ervin during his autopsy.

Evans told officers the red spots were spilled Kool-Aid.

He remains in the Cape Girardeau County Jail on a $2 million bond.

ehevern@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

Fountain Street and Park Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO