CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Jury selection for the man accused of killing two women during a bank robbery in Conway in 2017 began on Monday.
Eight jurors were selected. The court will resume on Tuesday.
Brandon Council is accused of murdering two employees, Donna Major, of Conway, and Kathryn “Katie” Skeen, of Green Sea in the 2017 CresCom bank shooting. Council faces two counts of murder as well as other federal and state charges. He is pleading not guilty.
The trial was originally set to begin in January 2019. Court documents state jury selection with trial to follow will begin on or about September 9, 2019.
According to the US attorney general, Council could receive life without the possibility of parole or death for the first two federal charges.
Last week, News13 reported that a gun charge against Council had been dismissed.
A motion to dismiss a felon in possession of a firearm charge against Council has been granted by Chief Judge R. Bryan Harwell on Tuesday.
The motion was filed in U.S. District Court in Florence on August 29. The prosecution agreed, filing their own motion to dismiss the charge, saying “doing so will not impact the ultimate outcome of this case.”
In July, News13 reported that Council filed a motion, claiming he is facing harsh conditions in jail while waiting for his trial.
A hearing for Council was held in April. According to court documents, a judge rejected a motion to suppress statements made by Council. A motion to “strike non-statutory aggravating factors or in the alternative for other relief” was taken under advisement.
Court documents reveal Council admitted to the murders.
Bank video shows Council approach a teller and speaks with her briefly. “Council then pulls a firearm, points it at the teller and shoots her multiple times,” court documents state. “Council then jumps over the teller counter. Council is also captured locating a second female employee of the bank who was hiding underneath a desk. Upon finding her, the video captured Council shooting the employee multiple times as she attempts to hide under the desk.”
Count on News13 for updates.
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