Evidence heard in Bandy murder trial
By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on April 14, 2010 1:46 PM
The state closed evidence hearings Tuesday in the trial of William Earl Bandy, who stands accused of the shooting death of a Dudley man.
Bandy, accused in the March 2006 shooting death of 31-year-old Fredrick A. Coleman, 31, of Hopesway Drive, might testify today.
It was not clear whether or not Bandy would take the stand, a court official familiar with the case said.
However, today was scheduled to begin with psychologists for both the state and the defense, testifying about their examinations of Bandy.
Coleman had been traveling south in a housemate's car just before 3 p.m. on South Alabama Avenue near West Spruce Street when he was shot.
Police and crime scene investigators were looking into the matter by 3:30 p.m., and quickly developed Bandy as a suspect, police said at the time.
After he was shot, Coleman's car careened off the left side of the road, striking a fire hydrant at Whitted Court, according to police records.
A passenger of Bandy's, Alicia Brown, told police that she saw a man run up to the side of the car and talk to him before firing.
Both Bandy and Coleman had long criminal records at the time of the slaying.
Coleman was initially taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital, then to Pitt Memorial in Greenville, where he died.
The trial was expected to resume at 9:30 a.m. today.