Talladega County murder trial underway

Kenneth Rex Latham

A Talladega County jury of seven men and five women was selected Monday to try 66 year old Kenneth Rex Latham, of Lincoln, charged with two counts of murder.

Two counts of manslaughter are listed as lesser offenses to be considered in the indictment.

Latham is accused of causing the deaths of 28 year old Silemon Reyes Santiago,  and 23 year old Areli Jacinto who was pregnant, during a car crash on Alabama 21 on March 1, 2013. Four children between the ages of 1 and 10 were in the back of the car, and all sustained injuries but survived.

Latham was also injured in the collision.

The two younger children were Santiago and Jacinto’s, while the older two were Jacinto’s brother’s and his wife’s. The brother was driving ahead of Santiago on the night of the crash, along with his 3-year-old daughter.

Members of both families were headed back to Talladega after attending a church function in Sylacauga.

According to Assistant District Attorney Christina Kilgore, Latham did not have any alcohol in his system but did have therapeutic levels of the drugs Hydrocodone and methadone in his blood whenhis blood was tested at the hospital.

Kilgore told the jury Monday that Although the two drugs were at common therapeutic levels, that does not mean that he was not impaired and should not have been driving,.

Latham is a veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder who was taking medications prescribed by the veteran’s administration at the appropriate levels according to his attorney.

Circuit Judge Julian King told the jury Monday that he expected the state and defense cases to rest Wednesday, with their deliberations beginning then.