All seven suspects in the Dakota Tinkham murder case appeared in Knox County Circuit Court once again today.
As the 11 a.m. appearances of six of the suspects concluded, verbal threats were made from the gallery and a brief uproar ensued.
A person believed to be a relative of Tinkham yelled out “you little [expletive(s)] will rot” and “you are not safe in jail.”
Following the appearances, Felony Assistant States Attorney Stephanie Hilton told WGIL that “the case is very sensitive and that the State’s Attorney’s office is taking any and all threats very seriously.”
Today’s proceedings set preliminary dates for all but one suspect. 17-year-old Devontae Williams,16-year-old Justin Timmons, 19-year-old Miguel Romo and 18-year-old Jovendia Williams all face first degree murder charges in the death of Tinkham, who was found shot to death in his Emory Street home last Wednesday.
All four are additionally charged with home invasion and armed robbery alongside 19-year-old Dalton McKee, 18-year-old Raymond Gable and 18-year-old Charles Posey who face the latter two charges.
All but McKee chose to return to court for a preliminary hearing alongside a public defender April 5th at 2 p.m. McKee is expected to hire a private attorney and will be back in court Wednesday.
