By Leslie N. Dees
The trial of William Austin Branch, who is accused in the shooting death of Jacob Simmons, will continue today at 9 a.m. at the Attala County Courthouse.
The jury was seated just before lunch time on Wednesday and witnesses supplied by the District Attorney Doug Evans' office were heard for the remainder of the afternoon.
The Attala County Sheriff’s Department deputies found Simmons lying in a pasture with a gunshot wound to the head on April 23. The pasture is located on Attala County Road 4163 off of Highway 14 West near the Zemuly community.
If found guilty, Branch faces up to life in prison for the charge of murder.
