Huntington, WV: Domestic homicide heads to trial

HUNTINGTON — A deadly argument between two, one-time love interests will make its way into a Cabell County courtroom this week.

Opposing attorneys will ask the jury to decide between murder and self-defense as they consider evidence against Jesse Aaron Blevins.

The Huntington man, set to turn 26 next month, is charged with murder and concealment of a deceased human body. Jury selection is set to begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18.

An indictment charges that Blevins fatally stabbed Elizabeth Cotton before moving the 23-year-old's body into a basement and underneath a celler's trap door. Investigators learned of Cotton's death hours after she died July 28, 2009, at a house in the 700 block of Jackson Avenue.

Both sides aired their final pre-trial arguments Tuesday before Cabell Circuit Judge Alfred Ferguson. He granted the use of several photos and one man's testimony, while denying a defense request aimed at binding prosecutors on their description of wounds suffered by Cotton.

Prosecutors also challenged a defense presentation, which the state argues will make use of hospital and court records not pertinent to Cotton's death in an attempt to smear her reputation. Ferguson agreed to review the presentation prior to trial.

The couple's relationship had its share of problems. Court records document four domestic violence arrests and three domestic violence petitions between victim and suspect over a two-year period beginning in July 2007.

An investigator, days after the killing, testified about a statement Blevins provided police. The testimony indicated the couple had gotten into an argument about new love interests. A physical dispute ensued with Cotton threatening Blevins with a knife. That led to Blevins wrestling her to the ground as he resorted to stabbing her in the neck with another knife.

Blevins placed Cotton's body in two garbage bags, wrapped it in a blanket and moved it into the basement, according to the prior testimony. Blevins then cleaned the house with bleach that morning and confessed to causing her death several hours later when confronted by police. The testimony also indicates he led officers to both knives, saying hers was in a coffee table at his mother's residence, while his was hidden in a storm sewer drain about a block away from the house on Jackson Avenue.

Both sides have attempted to use the other's criminal record and witness statements to paint their opponent as a violent person.

Opening arguments will follow jury selection Wednesday. Attorneys expect the trial could last into early next week.