Trial of First of the 3 Men Accused in the 2009 Murder of Epsie Ewing To Begin Next Week

Alcovy Circuit Court District Attorney Layla Zon confirmed that jury selection will begin on March 13 in the death penalty trial of Cory Butler, one of the three Monroe men accused in the 2009 murder of 65-year-old Epsie Ewing of Loganville. Butler is the first of the three scheduled to go on trial on March 13, 2013.

Butler, John Jody Blackwell, Jr. and Barry Partee are facing the death penalty following the May 21, 2009 attack that resulted in the death of Ewing the following month.

Butler was in court again on Monday 4, at which time the defense requested a continuance, according to Zon. Walton County Superior Court Judge Eugene Benton, however, denied the motion and jury selection will begin on March 13 as scheduled.

The trial has been a long time in coming for the family of Ewing. Her sister, Faye Evans, said although they are concerned about how difficult the trial will be for them, they are ready for it to begin.

"It's been so long getting to this point that I'm not sure how I feel. I hope that Epsie finally gets the justice that she so deserves and that we have been fighting for her for so long," Evans said. "I'm sure its going to be hard to hear and see some of the things that happened to her that day. I think the truth died with her that day so I'm not sure that I will ever know why it happened but I'm trying to move past that now."

Evans said that she will be in the courtroom and altough she is sure she will cry through much of it, the last thing she promised her sister before she died was that she would be her voice."

"I pray that if she is looking down from heaven, she will see and know that I have done my best. I tried so hard to keep her memory alive," Evans said.