Hearing date set for mass killer | Crime

A Madison County judge has called a hearing for October 24th in the Jacob Shaffer case.

Shaffer is accused of killing Sidney Dempsey in Huntsville in 2009. He's charged with capital murder in Madison County.

Shaffer pleaded guilty to killing his estranged wife and five others the same day in Lincoln County, Tennessee. He will serve life in prison.

After an earlier hearing, a Madison County judge tossed out statements Shaffer made to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, a Huntsville Police Investigators, and a Madison County Investigator.

Shaffer's attorney has asked a judge to bar prosecutors from telling the jury about any prior bad acts involving Shaffer. The defense is also requesting a larger than normal jury pool.

The hearing on both matters is set for October 24th. Shaffer is scheduled to go to trial October 29th.