Jury selection is expected to begin Monday in the murder trial of a chief petty officer from the Great Lakes Naval Training Center accused of beating his ex-wife to death last September.
The trial for Herman Bryan Williams III, 29, is set to begin before Judge Charles Scott, who last week ruled that prosecutors could present as evidence soil samples found at the murder scene and taken from the defendant’s truck.
More Top Picks Best Outdoor Trampolines For Kids
Williams has been held without bond in the Lake County Jail since he was arrested Sept. 30 at the Navy base in North Chicago for the murder of his ex-wife, Penny, 27.
Williams had called police Sept. 24 to report that his former spouse was missing from their Gurnee home. Although divorced, the couple had been living together and attempting to reconcile.
Authorities said they were immediately suspicious of Williams’ story because of inconsistencies and subsequently charged him with killing his wife on Sept. 22. Williams’ wife had threatened to leave the area with the couple’s two children, authorities said.
After her body was found Sept. 26 in a quarry pond in Wadsworth, police took soil samples from the pond area and later matched them to soil samples taken from Williams’ truck. The samples will be presented as evidence next week, Assistant State’s Atty. Michael Mermel said.