TWO people accused of murdering a young Stratford woman at an address in the town earlier this year will stand trial at Warwick Crown Court next month.
Kayleigh-Louise Woods and Jack Williams both pleaded not guilty at the court to the murder of 20-year-old Bethany Hill at an address in Hertford Road in February.
An earlier plea and case management hearing at the court had to be adjourned because of a concern over mental health issues in relation to Williams.
And on Thursday his barrister Peter Cooper told Judge Richard Griffith-Jones: “Only yesterday did we get confirmation that Mr Williams was fit to plead.”
Woods, 22, of Hertford Road, Stratford, and Williams, 21, of Redlands Crescent, Stratford, who had a dock officer between them, spoke only to confirm their names and to enter their not guilty pleas.
At an earlier hearing the court was told that Bethany died at an address in Hertford Road some time during the afternoon of February 3.
The police and an ambulance had been called to the address, where she was found with neck wounds, at around 7pm, and she was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Referring to a defence statement served on behalf of Williams, Judge Griffith-Jones observed that the first issue in his case would be whether he ‘either individually or as part of a joint enterprise killed the deceased.’
And the judge directed the trial start on August 1.
But he said if, within the next seven days, there was a further issue, which Mr Cooper said he did not think was likely, there would have to be an application to vacate that date.
Adjourning the case for trial, he remanded both Woods, wearing a cream blouse and black trousers, and with her long dark hair swept back and a pair of sunglasses on top of her head, and Williams, with short-cropped hair and wearing a white shirt, in custody.
