LEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — Jury selection begins Monday (Oct. 26) in the trial of the man accused of killing a Smithville mother and daughter.

Marcus Dontavious Butts is charged in the March 2024 double murder of Jessica and Julianna Thompson, who were both found shot dead in their Smithville apartment. Butts was indicted on 18 total charges in connection with this case. His charges are:

• theft by taking
• aggravated assault (3 counts)
• possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony (2 counts)
• possession of firearm by a convicted felon (2 counts)
• malice murder (2 counts)
• felony murder (6 counts)
• home invasion in the first degree
• burglary in the first degree

Last year, Judge Jimmie Brown ruled Butts stole a gun and assaulted the owner of the gun weeks before the murders, violating parole in his 2020 aggravated assault case. For this, he’s facing a charge of theft by taking and aggravated assault. He’s also facing charges of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon for this Jan. 13, 2024 incident.

Butts refused to testify, invoking his Fifth Amendment right.

Jury selection in his murder case begins Monday morning. Updates will follow as more details are released.

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