New trial date set in Chauncey Hughes case

CAIRO, Ill. -- A new trial date is set for a Cairo man suspected of killing his wife.

Chauncey Hughes, 31, will face a new jury April 28 on first-degree murder charges in the November 2013 shooting death of his wife, Heather Davis, 22, online court records show.

Hughes maintains the shooting was an accident. The prosecution contends Hughes intentionally killed his wife after she told him she wanted a divorce.

The case has faced a series of setbacks.

In June, Hughes, apparently frustrated by Judge Mark Clarke's denial of a motion to suppress some statements, spoke sharply and overturned his chair as he left the courtroom.

Heather Davis

At that same court appearance, one of Hughes' supporters shouted profanities on her way out of the courthouse. Clarke then called for additional security during the trial.

During jury selection in August, one man was disqualified after suggesting Hughes should be lynched.

Later that week, Clarke granted a motion for a mistrial after jurors saw a cellphone message they were not intended to see.

A new trial had been scheduled for November but was delayed because a material witness had undergone surgery, wasn't able to walk and was on prescription narcotics. Clarke rescheduled the trial for Jan. 27 to give the witness time to recover.

But when January rolled around, the case again was delayed when Alexander County State's Attorney Jeff Farris resigned and was replaced by Hughes' original public defender, Zach Gowin. Public defender Donna McCann has been appointed to replace Gowin as Hughes' attorney, and to avoid a conflict of interest, Ed Parkinson, an appellate prosecutor for the Illinois State's Attorney's Office, is taking over the prosecution of the case, Farris said in January.

kwebster@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

2000 Washington Ave., Cairo, IL