Murder trial in death of Wellborn teacher underway in Anniston

The trial of one of three men charged in the murder of a wellborn elementary school teacher enters its second day of testimony today.  Tuesday family members of Kevin Thomson testified.  Thompson’s mother, Frances Curry remembered her son, as an amazing gift.  24 year old Nicholas Smith is one of three men charged with kidnapping Thompson and stabbing him to death. Thompson’s body was discovered near U.S. 278 in Cherokee County, almost two days after he went missing in April 2011.  Prosecutors say Thompson was kidnapped from his Jackson Trace Apartment in Jacksonville by Smith, Tyrone Thompson and Jovan Gaston. The teacher was driven to several ATMs in Jacksonville and Anniston where he was forced to withdraw money at gunpoint.  Law enforcement officers in Cherokee County discovered Thompson’s body in the early morning hours of April 23.  Seth Rochester, a former investigator for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, testified Tuesday that he discovered Thompson’s body behind a guardrail near mile marker 166 on U.S. 278. Rochester said he found upturned dirt and leaves near Thompson’s body and it appeared he had been dragged. Thompson’s neck and mouth were wrapped in duct tape.  Dr. Emily Ward, a medical examiner for the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences who performed the autopsy on Thompson’s body testified Tuesday that he died as a result of multiple stab wounds.  Ward testified that Thompson suffered facial injuries consistent with being severely punched or kicked, his throat was cut and he was stabbed four times in the chest. Two of those stab wounds were deep enough to penetrate Thompson’s heart.  The jury heard testimony from 15 witnesses on Tuesday Testimony resumes in the case today.