Troy King
Connie Sanders KingThe Coffee County, Tenn., murder trial in the slaying of former Jo Dee Messina stage manager Thomas Colucci was supposed to start today but has been delayed until at least May.
Connie Sanders King and Troy King each are charged with first-degree murder in Colucci's Nov. 13, 2012, slaying at his home on Maple Springs Road near Manchester, Tenn.
14th Judicial District Attorney General Craig Northcott said the November death of longtime public defender Bethel Campbell Smoot, who was representing Troy King, and motions by both defendants' lawyers to separate their cases created the delay as those issues are ironed out.
The new trial date is May 14.
"They're indicted under separate indictments, and we filed a motion to consolidate it to try them together. If they're not consolidated, then, obviously, one of them won't be able to be tried in May," Northcott said.
He said that, depending on the court ruling on motions to separate the cases, the May date could change as well.
Connie Sanders King, 37, of Ormond Beach, Fla., when arrested was taken into custody by authorities there and Coffee County investigators in July 2013 at the Indian Motorcycles shop in Daytona Beach where she worked as an office manager.
She was engaged to Colucci and is the former wife of Troy King. Troy King was 41 when he was taken into custody in March 2013 in Imperial Beach, Calif., and extradited to Tennessee on a governor's warrant to face charges of killing Colucci.
Colucci was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds in the garage of his home on Nov. 13, 2012. After the call to authorities, Connie King was seen running down the street crying, covered in blood, officials said during the initial days of the investigation. She maintained at the time that she and Colucci had been attacked.
Trip Hunt of Crew One productions in Nashville said in 2013 that he had known Colucci for about nine years and remarked that Colucci was well known and popular throughout the Music City. Colucci, originally from Erial, N.J., worked with Messina's crew and was working with the band 311 when he was killed, according to Hunt, who said Colucci's death affected people in the Nashville music scene.
"We're one big family in this music industry," Hunt said at the time. "It really took us to the side."
Colucci was "a great guy and just full of life," he said.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@times freepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.