First Hacker trial now January

Trials of the four persons accused of capital murder in the death of Emily Hacker, have been delayed for the third time

Prosecutor Bill Torrey told The Reporter defense attorneys went to court last Wednesday (June 27) and obtained a re-set of the trials until January, 2019.

It’s the third time for the trials of John Wesley Stewart, Ashley Yvonne Wesson-Zawadzke, Candice Nicole Jones and Edward Brannon Barry to be re-set.

Originally the trials were to have begun Sept. 9, 2017. They were re-scheduled for March 19 with Prosecutor Bill Torrey citing “unanalyzed evidence” at a DPS lab.

Then in January of this year, by mutual consent, a starting date of August, 2018, was agreed upon.

That would have been next month, of course.

Torrey said all four remain in custody in various Central Texas facilities.

BEATEN—Hacker’s burned body was found in a shallow grave Jan. 28, 2017, near Lyons in Burleson County. An autopsy indicated she was beaten to death and the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office also listed the cause of death as “homicide.”

Torrey said the investigation indicated the body was set on fire in the shallow grave, apparently in an attempt to destroy evidence.

Investigators said they believe the homicide occurred at 538 Coulter Street in Rockdale before 6 p.m. on Jan. 19, 2017.

The home was searched for evidence twice by Rockdale police and the Texas Rangers.

Police said evidence found at the house indicated a “blood letting” event had taken place and investigators also believe a cleanup had occurred.

Hacker was reported missing Jan. 20 and the body was found nine days later.

‘TAMPERING’—On Feb. 9, 31-year-old Kevin Cormier of Caldwell was charged with tampering/ fabricating physical evidence (human corpse) with intent to impair.

Police said the charge—a separate offense from the four capital murder arrests—alleges Cormier participated in moving and burying Hacker’s body.

He is not charged in connection with the death.

DETAILS—Affidavits in the case were unsealed after the four capital murder indictments were returned on Feb. 24, 2017.

The affidavit traces the crime’s origin to a traffic stop in the early morning hours of Jan. 19. Hacker was driving the vehicle and Jones was the passenger.

It states Hacker was arrested for driving while license invalid and during a subsequent search a pistol was found in the glove box.

“Victim (Hacker) told authorities the pistol belonged to Jones,” the document states. As Jones was a felon she was ultimately charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and was actually indicted on that charge in the grand jury’s regular February session on Feb. 16.

The affidavit alleged “a friend of Jones’s told him ‘she was going to beat victim’s a--’ for snitching on her about the gun and stealing drugs.’ Jones said she ‘was going to zip tie victim’s hands and beat her a--.’ Later this person was told by Jones she had beaten victim but it had gone too far. Jones asked to use his truck to dump the body and ‘finish it.’ He told her ‘no’.

The affidavit states one of the co-defendants described the murder to investigators thusly:

“...Jones took the victim in the back room or basement of the residence at 538 Coulter. After a short time, Jones yelled for assistance. The three co-defendants came to Jones’ assistance.

“Jones was sitting on the victim’s chest and was holding victim’s head by a handful of hair and hitting victim with anything Jones could grab in her other hand. A ratchet wrench was described as being used to inflict the fatal blow as well as other hand tools.”

The affidavit also states Barry struck the victim in the face and head with his elbows and Wesson-Zawadzke furnished a roll of duct tape. The duct tape was wrapped around the victim’s mouth and head and her wrists were bound by some type of cord.

It continues, stating the victim was placed into a large white bag with a zipper, by Barry and Stewart. Wesson-Zawadzke helped Jones remove Jones’ bloody clothes and clean her up, as Jones’s hands were hurt and swollen.