Trial of woman held in 6 deaths set for January

Kim Smith

Tuesday, July 11, 2000 | 11:19 a.m.

The young woman accused in the deaths of six teenagers on Interstate 15 in March will be heading for trial in January -- three months earlier than what her defense attorney wanted.

Defense attorney John Watkins tried to persuade District Judge Mark Gibbons Monday that because of the "magnitude" of the Jessica Williams case he needs until at least April to prepare her defense.

Williams, 21, is accused of driving into the median of I-15 on March 19 and striking a group of teenage probationers who were picking up trash as part of a Clark County community service program.

She pleaded not guilty during her court appearance Monday.

Prosecutors claim Williams was under the influence of marijuana and the hallucinogenic drug ecstasy at the time of the crash. They are trying her under a relatively new law that specifies at which point drivers are under the influence of a prohibited substance.

Watkins believes the new law is unconstitutional, that there is no correlation between marijuana and the ability to drive safely.

On Monday, Watkins told Gibbons that because of the complexities of the case and because he is involved in the George Warner murder case, he needs the additional time to prepare for Williams' trial.

Warner, a former highway patrolman, is accused of setting his wife on fire 11 years ago and killing her. The case, after being dismissed several times, is expected to finally go to trial Oct. 2.

Gibbons told Watkins he believes he has plenty of time to prepare for Williams' trial and set the date for Jan. 29.

The courtroom Monday was filled with a handful of Williams' supporters and the family members of those killed -- Scott Garner Jr., Anthony Smith, Alberto Puig, Rebeccah Glicken, Malena Stoltzfus and Jennifer Booth.

Her not-guilty plea prompted one audience member to slam out of the courtroom in tears. Following the hearing, heated words were exchanged between Williams' supporters and the victims' families, causing several bailiffs to follow the crowd out of the courtroom to maintain order.

Williams has been indicted on six counts of driving under the influence of a controlled or prohibited substance, six counts of reckless driving, six counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count each of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

If convicted, Williams could get up to 120 years in prison. She remains in the Clark County Detention Center on a $5 million bond.