A Baldwin County murder case took a procedural turn this week after prosecutors asked for more time to determine whether the charges against the defendant should be increased.
A preliminary hearing that had been set for this past Thursday in the case against William Minton, 55, of Foley, was pushed back two weeks to Dec. 18 at 8:30 a.m. in the Baldwin County courthouse in Bay Minette. Circuit Judge Scott Taylor is presiding over the case.
According to a court motion filed by Assistant District Attorney Megan Webb, prosecutors are continuing to build their case against Minton and want additional time before the hearing moves forward, citing the possibility that the charges could be revised or elevated.
Minton faces charges of murder and abuse of a corpse stemming from the Nov. 6 death of his 87-year-old stepfather, Kenneth Hood. Investigators allege Hood was killed by blunt force trauma inside a home on Russet Court that the two men shared, and that his body was later dismembered and portions were left along County Road 26 south of Magnolia Springs.
District Attorney Hallie Dixon said following a Nov. 14 bond hearing that her office was examining whether the murder charge could be upgraded to capital murder, an offense that can carry the death penalty in Alabama. Dixon has noted separately that Minton’s prior criminal record could make him eligible for a sentence of life without parole even without a capital designation.
Alabama law recognizes 18 distinct circumstances under which a homicide can be prosecuted as capital murder, and it remains unclear whether the facts of this case would meet any of those criteria. Prosecutors have not said when they expect to complete their review.
Minton remains held in the Baldwin County Jail on $1 million bond as the case proceeds. The rescheduled preliminary hearing will determine whether there is sufficient evidence for the case to move forward toward a grand jury.
The case has drawn attention in Baldwin County, where residents in the Foley and Magnolia Springs areas have followed developments closely since the initial discovery of human remains along the rural county road last month. Court officials say further hearings will be scheduled as the investigation and charging decisions progress.