Heather Elvis Disappearance Case
Sidney Moorer’s upcoming kidnapping trial could be held in Horry County if a request from prosecutors is granted.
State prosecutors asked for the trial to return to Horry County as part of several recently filed motions by attorneys in the case. Moorer, defense attorneys and state solicitors are scheduled to be in an Horry County court next week to discuss the case. Moorer faces a potential fall trial for his alleged role in Heather Elvis’ 2013 kidnapping.
In 2016, Judge Dennis Markley ordered Moorer’s kidnapping trial to be held in Georgetown County because of publicity in Horry County. That trial ended with a hung jury.
Horry County solicitors argued since Moorer’s first trial in 2016, impartial juries were found in Horry County for his obstruction case and his wife Tammy Moorer’s kidnapping trial. The obstruction trial ended with Sidney Moorer being found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison. A jury found Tammy Moorer guilty of kidnapping, and she was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Sidney and Tammy Moorer are accused of kidnapping Elvis in December 2013. Prosecutors said Tammy Moorer was angry because Sidney Moorer was having an affair with Elvis. Sidney and Tammy Moorer then allegedly lured Elvis to Peachtree Landing on the night she went missing.
The state said it has more than 60 witnesses for Sidney’s upcoming trial. Many live in Horry County and would need to drive 80 miles for the hearing. The state estimates the cost of that travel at more than $2,000.
With proper questions, solicitors argue, a jury could be found in Horry County. At worst, the state asked the judge to select a jury from Georgetown residents and bring them to Horry County for the trial.
Sidney Moorer’s lawyers also filed several recent motions to bar some evidence from trial. One seeks to ban testimony about Heather Elvis possibly being pregnant at the time of her killing.
“There is no evidence that [Sidney Moorer] ever was made aware that the victim could potentially be pregnant,” the filing reads.
Since Sidney Moorer didn’t know, attorneys claim, there is no evidence to show he was motivated to kidnap Elvis, the defense states.
The defense also asked to limit the testimony by former Tilted Kilt employees, which is where Elvis worked before she disappeared. The employees testified in previous trials about Sidney Moorer’s and Elvis’ relationship and prank calls made by Tilted Kilt employees. The testimony is not relevant to the alleged kidnapping and would bias the jury, attorneys claim.
Finally, the defense asked the judge to bar any evidence from trial the state has not already turned over during the discovery process. The state has provided about 58,000 pages of documents related to the case. Since there have already been three trials related to the case, the defense contends there is no new evidence to be found.
No comments:
Post a Comment