By Dennis Sherer

Lauderdale County Circuit Court Judge Mike Jones honored a request by prosecutors Friday to order a homicide suspect to submit to additional fingerprint testing.

In a 2-minute hearing, Jones ordered that fingerprint samples be collected from Emerson Gatewood as quickly as possible to be compared with prints found at the home of Parunta Turner, who was shot to death Jan. 12, 2005.

Gatewood, 27, who is charged with capital murder, is one of three men accused of killing Turner, 29, during a robbery. His trial is scheduled to begin April 7.

One of the men charged with the killing, Steven Lamont Harrison, 31, of Madison, Tenn., pleaded guilty to felony murder and two counts of first-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine and was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in December.

On Friday, Will Powell, chief assistant district attorney for Lauderdale County, asked Jones to expedite the order requiring Gatewood to provide additional fingerprint samples in order to ensure the results are available before his trial.

"The fingerprint examiner wants additional fingerprints from the extreme sides of his fingers and palm prints," Powell told the judge.

Jones also granted a request by defense attorney Heath Trousdale, of Florence, to allow Gatewood's attorneys to be present when the fingerprint samples are collected.

After the hearing, Powell said additional fingerprints will also be collected from Kelvin Larid "Blue" Hines, 31, of Tanner, who is also charged with capital murder, and others believed to have been in Turner's apartment the night he was killed.

Prosecutors contend Harrison and Gatewood broke into Turner's apartment looking for drugs while Hines waited outside.

Gatewood and Hines have pleaded innocent to the charges.


Copyright © 2008, Daily Times, AL