Local News
Poynor man’s trial set to begin Friday
Trial is set to begin Friday in Conroe for a Henderson County man charged with participating in a Montgomery County killing two years ago.
Joshua Blake Berryhill, 27, of Poynor is one of four defendants indicted for capital murder in connection with the shooting of 52-year-old Gregory Willkomm of Magnolia. Berryhill is the last of the defendants to face trial for the Sept. 27, 2007 offense.
Two of the defendants, James Stallings and Kasey Erin Kantak, of the Houston area, were each convicted of capital murder, and sentenced to life in prison earlier this year.
On Sept. 24, Joshua Tarrant, 27, of Frankston was acquitted on a capital murder charge. According to the Magnolia County District’s Office, Berryhill’s trial is on the docket for 8:15 a.m. Friday in 410th District Court.
Berryhill was arrested on a murder warrant by Coffee City Police in October, 2007. He was booked into the Henderson County Jail with bond set at $750,000.
According to various police reports, Willkomm disappeared from his home Sept. 28, and was later found dead in Harris County.
Law enforcement officers in several counties participated in arresting eight suspects in connection with the case.
Five suspects, Tammy Monzingo, Johnny Monzingo, Robert Joseph Fath Jr., Kantak and Trussell, were charged with attempting to use the victim’s credit cards and identifying information.
Several of the suspects were said to have ties with the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas a gang with members in and out of the prison system.
Berryhill, at the time of his arrest, was also issued warrants for minor offenses. In December, 2006, Berryhill was indicted in Anderson County for possession of a small quantity of a controlled substance, stemming from a June, 5, 2006 arrest, according to information from the Anderson County District Attorney’s Office.
According to a published story in the Palestine Herald, testimony introduced at Tarrant’s trial showed that Willkomm died as a result of a single shot to the back of the neck from a .25-caliber automatic pistol.
The victim’s burned body was found two days later by authorities next to the San Jacinto River in Harris County, about 20 miles from the murder site.
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Three arrested on drug charges
Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt reports four recent arrests by west-end investigators that solved an Athens-area car burglary, and a Malakoff jewelry theft.
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Hoofbeats pound pavement in the rain
Splash, splash, splash went the hoofbeats as New Hampshire native Bob Skelding’s horse-drawn wagon rolled through Henderson County Monday.
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Highway 175 proves to be busy chase route
U.S. Highway 175 has been a busy strip of roadway lately with offenders attempting to outrun law officers in vehicle chases.
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Preparations for March 2 primary elections in full swing
Preparations for the March 2 primary elections are in full swing at the Henderson County Election Center.
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Cruising the seas
Ewald and Doris Albers take the Athens Daily Review with them on their cruise to Honduras and Mexico, aboard the Voyager of the Seas.
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Time to get busy pruning
February is here and it is time to get busy, for fruit growers that is, pruning fruit trees in East Texas.
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SAR honors a good corporate citizen
Athens Chapter Sons of the American Revolution President Charles Luna, right, presents First State Bank, Athens Vice President Michael Neill with the Community Service Award for funding its Eagle Scout Scholarship, the Jeff Austin, Senior Scholarship.
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ETMC Auxiliary Report
To those of you who have considered joining our auxiliary but haven’t done it yet, I wish you could have been at the Feb. 3 meeting.
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ETGS to focus on writing
The East Texas Genealogical Society will hold its regular monthly meeting on Saturday, February 13, at 2 p.m. in the Taylor Auditorium at the Tyler Public Library, 201 S. College, Tyler.
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Financial gifts for your valentine
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, so you’d better get going with the flowers and chocolates for your sweetie.
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Three arrested on drug charges
