Bridgeman Retirement Pushes Colbert Murder Trial to November

Bridgeman’s retirement is pushing back at least one important criminal trial in Stephens County Superior Court.

The murder trial of Marqueela Dewain Hill and William Demetrius McElveen was to have gotten underway on September 24th.

However, Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Christain said Monday he does not expect to have a new Assistant District Attorney in place in Stephens County before the end of the year.

He tells WNEG News he will be trying the Hill/McElveen murder case in November.

“It’s set for November 5th,” Christian said. “I have a civil court order, and it’s my understandiing that it has been or will be signed by Judge Smith. That’s a gang-related murder and Rick was scheduled to try that in September, but his retirement has put a halt to that. So, right now it will be November 5th in Stephens County.”

Marqkeela Lawain Hill and William Demetrius McElveen are charged in the February 2016 murder of 21-year-old Tomas Colbert of Toccoa.

Both were indicted in January 2017 by a Stephens County Grand Jury on charges of Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, along with the new charges, Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Assault.

Hill allegedly shot Colbert at a Falls Road apartment in the early morning hours of Feb. 7, 2016.

Colbert died later at Greenville Memorial Hospital as a result of several gunshot wounds.