Judge for Effingham County child torture, murder case eyes 2022 trial Three of the people accused of abusing, murdering and covering up the deaths of two Effingham County teenagers appeared in court on Thursday Share Updated: 9:00 PM EDT Jul 15, 2021 Judge for Effingham County child torture, murder case eyes 2022 trial Three of the people accused of abusing, murdering and covering up the deaths of two Effingham County teenagers appeared in court on Thursday Share Updated: 9:00 PM EDT Jul 15, 2021 Hide Transcript Show Transcript MOSTLY SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 91. CHANCE ALL NEW AT 5 O CLOCK - THREE OF THE PEOPLE ACCUSED OF ABINUS MURDERING - AND COVERING UP THE DEATHS OF TWO EFFINGHAM COUNTY TEENAGERS - APPEARED IN COURT TODAY. OUR BROOKE BUTLER WAS ERTH - AND BREAKS DOWN WHAT HAPPENED FOR US. DATOY IN COURT - WE GOT A BETTER IDEA OF WHEN TRIAL MIGHT BEGIN FOR THIS TR AGIC CASE. "I WOULD LIKE TO BE AIN POSITION TO HAVE A JURY IN PLACE, FIRST QUARTER OF '2" 2. JUDGE F. GATES PEE- D ANNOUNCED HIS INTENT THURSDAY - TO BEGIN TRIAL FOR THE CROCKER CASE AT THE BEGINNING OF NEXT YEAR. "I WOULD SAY THAT MIGHT BE OVERLY OPTIMISTIC, OR IT MIGHT NOT ." BE ELWYN CROCKER SR. - KIMBERLY WRIGHT - AND MARK ANTHONY WRIGHT - PREVIOUSLY PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO CHARGES OF FELONY AND MALICE MURDER - SEXUAL BATTERY - CRUELTY TO CHILDREN - FALSE IMPRISONMENT - AND CONCEALING DEATH. YOU MAY REMEMBER BACK IN 2018 - POLICE FOUNTHE D BODIES OF TWO TEENAGERS- MARY CROCKER AND ELWYN CROCKER JR. - BURIED IN THE FAMILY'S GUYTON BACKYARD - AFTER THEY WERE CALLED TO DO A WELFARE CHECK. IT TURN OUT ONE OF THE TEENS - ELWYN CROCKER JR - HAD BEEN MISSING SINCE 2016. AUTHORITIES HAVE SAID E TH CHILDREN WERE BEATEN AND STARVED - AND THAT MARY WAS KEPT NAKED IA N CAGE. THURSDAY - WE LEARNED EACH OF THE THREE DEFENDANTS S HA FILED A NUMBER OF MOTIONS IN RECENT MONTHS. ELWYN WITH 40. KIMBERLY WH IT10 7. MARK ANTHONY WITH 79. INSTEAD OF ADDRESSING ANY OF THOSE MOTIONST A THURSDAY'S STATUS ARHEING - THE COURT WAS MET WITH SOME ROADBLOCKS. ELWYN'S ATTORNEYS WITH UNDERSTAFFING - ONE OF THE ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM OUR TEAM IS THAT . MS DAYTON WILL BE ELAVING T HE OFFICE AND WE WILL HAVE ONE ATTORNEY ON MR. CROCKER'S CASE UNTIL ANOTHER ONE IS HIRED. :10 AND MA ARKNTHONY AND KIMBERLY'S ATTNEORYS - WITH SCHEDULING CONFLICTS. I DO HAVE A LEAVE OF ABSEN CE COMING UP FOR SURGERY MYSELF. IN THE END - THE JUDGE CAME TO A COMPROMISE. ONCE A MONTH - STARTING IN LATE AUGUST - THE COURT WI LL HEAR A CERTAIN NUMBER OF MOTIONS FROM EACH DEFENDANT - LEADING UP TO THE TRIAL. THE FIRST MOTIONS HEARING IS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE AUGUST 27TH. WE SHOULD NOTE - ALL THREE OF THESE DEFENDANTS - FACE THE DEATH PENALTY. REPORTING IN EFFINGH AM COUNTY IM BROO BUTKELER WJCL 22 NEWS. TWO OTHER PEOPLE INVOLVED WITH THE CASE - CANDE IC CROCKER AND ROY PRATHER - HAVE BOTH PLEADED