A joint motion for continuance was filed in the case of Dustin Shores, a Scott County man charged with two counts of capital murder, on Friday, July 30.
In that motion, Shores’ counsel and the counsel for the state sought a continuance requesting the fitness to proceed hearing be held on October 5, 2021, at 1 p.m.
According to court documents, Shores is scheduled for a hearing on his fitness to proceed on August 3, however, a forensic examiner employed by the Arkansas State Hospital is a necessary witness for the state and is unavailable on that date. Because of conflicts and prior obligations of the defense counsel, both Shores’ defense and the state are requesting that hearing be postponed.
Shores was arrested in August of 2020 after the bodies of two Scott County residents were found inside a home on Highway 270, near Boles.
The Scott County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call at approximately 1 a.m. on August 24, 2020, from an individual stating he had cut his foot and needed assistance. A sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to the home and found the bodies of the victims, Bobby Slagle, 81, and his wife Martha, 69, inside a bedroom.
Special Agents of the State Police Criminal Investigation Division were requested by the Scott County Sheriff to conduct the homicide investigation.
Shores was charged with two counts of capital murder. The state has not waived the death penalty in this case. Circuit Judge Jerry Don Ramey is presiding over the trial.
