Barry Van Whitton faces trial in Scottsboro, Ala., on murder charges filed in the 1997 beating death of his then-28-year-old wife, Michelle Townson Whitton.SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — Prosecutors and defense lawyers queried jury panels in Jackson County Circuit Court all day today, and court officials say the selection process in the Barry Whitton murder trial could continue through Friday.
Whitton, 46, is on trial in Jackson County in the 1997 beating death of his first wife, Michelle Townson Whitton, 28, when she vanished more than 17 years ago.
He was indicted in connection with the slaying in December and formally charged in January of this year.
After several delays, the trial was set to begin this week. Whitton has been housed in the jail in Cullman County as officials readied for trial.
According to the indictment, Whitton killed Michelle Whitton “by striking her in the head and causing blunt-force trauma,” according to Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange’s office. The state office in Montgomery is prosecuting the case.
Michelle Whitton was reported missing on Dec. 7, 1997. Her body was found Jan. 20, 1998, near the town of Powell in neighboring DeKalb County. That’s about 15 miles from the Whitton home in Dutton, Ala. Her body had been partially buried in a shallow grave piled with sticks and rocks, according to accounts in the Huntsville Times.
Barry Whitton is also a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his second wife, Kimberly Compton Whitton, 36, and her 11-year-old daughter, Haleigh Brean Culwell.
Kimberly was last seen alive on June 2, 2007, when she left work at a Scottsboro nursing home. It is unclear when Haleigh was last seen.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.