Chauncey Hughes murder retrial to begin Thursday

After a number of setbacks and scheduling issues, a Cairo, Illinois, man tried once in the murder of his wife again will go before a jury beginning Thursday.

Chauncey Hughes, 31, faces first-degree murder charges in the November 2013 shooting death of his wife, Heather Davis.

Hughes claims the shooting was an accident, and the prosecution contends Hughes intentionally killed Davis after she told him she wanted a divorce.

Hughes' first trial on the charges ended in mistrial after the jury put a battery in a cellphone, both of which had been submitted as evidence. The phone's contents -- including photos and texts -- had not been presented as evidence.

The defense attorney at the time, Zach Gowin, immediately entered a motion for a mistrial that was granted by Judge Mark Clarke.

That jury had experienced other problems. The day it began deliberating, one juror left during lunch, and an alternate was recalled. A second alternate juror had been used when one of the jurors realized he used to live next door to the victim's father.

The jury reported several times that day one juror was refusing to believe either side and refused to deliberate. The problem of no remaining alternates resolved itself, however, when the cellphone issue arose.

A new trial had been set for November but was delayed when a material witness underwent surgery, was unable to walk and was on prescription narcotics. To give the witness recovery time, Clarke rescheduled the trial for Jan. 27.

The case again was delayed in January when Alexander County State's Attorney Jeff Farris resigned and was replaced by Zach Gowin, who had been Hughes' original public defender. Donna McCann since has been appointed to represent Hughes. To avoid a conflict of interest, Ed Parkingson, appellate prosecutor for the Illinois state's attorney's office, has taken over the prosecution.

Since January, the trial has been pushed back three more times -- first to April 28, then Aug. 19 and finally to this week. Jury selection began Tuesday.

kwebster@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

2000 Washington Ave., Cairo, IL