One Grundy murder case scheduled; one delayed

Thursday, May 12, 2011

WHERE TO GOGrundy County Circuit Court hearings are held at the Grundy County Courthouse in Altamont, Tenn. The courthouse is at 68 Cumberland St.

Prosecutors are ready to try one Grundy County, Tenn., murder case this month, while another has been delayed, court officials said.

Martin Dean "Cub" Meeks, 55, faces trial in the slaying of 79-year-old Carl R. Winton on June 14, 2009, officials said.

Assistant District Attorney Steve Strain said the case is set for May 24 and he's aware of no hurdles standing in the way of the trial.

Meeks is charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of an offense, Grundy County Criminal Court records show.

Winton was killed at 476 Bear Hollow Road in Pelham, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Kristin Helm stated in an email.

Helm said the men apparently got into an argument over property. Records state the weapon was a shotgun. After the shooting, Meeks called 911, she said.

The other case, the trial of Shawn Landolt on charges of arson and felony murder, has been delayed. Landolt is charged in the June 11, 2008, death of his brother-in-law, Jeremy Michael Meeks, in a house fire near Tracy City.

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Strain said the case was rescheduled because the medical examiner, a crucial witness, will be out of the country.

Meeks' body was found on a bed inside his burned-out home. Investigators found a lever-action rifle on the floor about four feet from Meeks' body. Preliminary autopsy results described a hole about 1 by 2 inches in his chest, according to authorities.

Authorities said Landolt's mother, Sharon Cobelo, told investigators that Landolt told her he killed Meeks and burned the trailer.

No new date has been set for Landolt's trial, court officials said.