Update: Preliminary hearing in Burk capital murder case set for April
William White | Opelika-Auburn News
March 10 File Photo: Courtney Lockhart, 23, of Smiths Station, is charged with three counts of capital murder in the March 4 death of Auburn University freshman Lauren Burk, 18, of Marietta, Ga. Lockhart made his initial court appearance in Lee County on Monday.
A preliminary hearing has been set for 9 a.m. April 23 for Courtney Lockhart, according to information from the Lee County Circuit Clerk’s office Thursday.
Lockhart, 23, of Smiths Station, is charged with capital murder during a robbery, capital murder during a kidnapping and capital murder during an attempted rape in the March 4 death of Auburn University freshman Lauren Burk, 18, of Marietta, Ga.
The hearing is scheduled for District Judge Russell Bush’s court.
A preliminary hearing is designed to determine whether a person charged with a felony should be tried, according to http://www.law.com, a “legal news and information network.” Some substantial evidence could be presented.
Burk was found lying in the roadway on Alabama Highway 147 just after 9 p.m. March 4. She was transported to East Alabama Medical Center, where she later died as a result of a gunshot wound. Her car was discovered on fire in a parking lot on the AU campus.
Lockhart was arrested March 7 in Phenix City.
Reader Reactions
The only ‘preliminary hearing’ scumbag needs is where to bury his sorry a**...and sooner than not!





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