Murder trial of LDS man postponed until January (Hill trial won't have Aiken jury)
Augusta GA Chronicle 15Oct99 P2
By Greg Rickabaugh: South Carolina Bureau

AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA -- Unable to find enough uninfluenced jurors for a fair trial, Judge Marc Westbrook ruled on Thursday, October 14th that the trial of former LDS missionary David Mark Hill would be moved to another county in South Carolina, leading to a three month delay in the trial. The delay will allow the courts to find a county with similar demographics to Aiken County and make arrangements pick a jury there and transport them to Aiken County.

The high-profile Hill case began in the fall 1996 when Hill allegedly barged into the North Augusta office of the South Carolina Department of Social Services and killed three caseworkers with a semiautomatic handgun. Police say Hill was upset because the agency was about to put his three children, one of whom is a paraplegic, in foster care. The DSS had taken custody of the children when his wife was involved in an automobile accident with two of the children in the car. She was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and child endangerment.

Hill was found the day following the shootings on a railroad track near the DSS office. He was wounded and bleeding from an apparent suicide attempt. Police say that this was his fourth suicide attempt that year.

Hill's defense attorneys have already said they plan an insanity defense, and Judge Westbrook will decide if Hill is competent to stand trial. If he is not, the trial could be postponed until he is ruled competent.

Meanwhile, prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty in the case.

see also:
Sanity defense key to Hill trial
Augusta GA Chronicle 10Oct99 D2
By Greg Rickabaugh: South Carolina Bureau