A new date for the jury trial of Jory Worthen has been set after the defense asked for a postponement of the original trial date.
Worthen is charged with two counts of capital murder for his alleged involvement in the deaths of 25-year-old Alyssa Cannon and her four-year-old son Braydon Ponder.
Court documents state that while Worthen’s trial was scheduled to start at the end of April 2021, his defense team has asked for “additional time to perform the ethical obligations of defense counsel in a death penalty matter.”
Additional documents filed show the court granted the motion of continuance and the trial will be held on November 1, 2021.
The State of Arkansas is seeking the death penalty for Worthen, according to documents filed with the circuit court of Ouachita County.
The documents allege that Worthen “committed each of the capital murders in an especially cruel or depraved manner.”
That, and Ponder’s age, led prosecutors to seek the penalty in the case, according to court records.
At the time of the murders, Cannon had a restraining order against Worthen, but he was still living with her, according to police records.
Worthen allegedly fled the state in Cannon’s vehicle after the murders; it was later found abandoned in a parking lot in Seattle, Washington. The Western Arkansas United States Marshals Task Force was brought into the investigation to assist with apprehension since Worthen had crossed state lines and was believed to be armed and dangerous.
The investigative efforts by all agencies involved led them to a hotel in Burbank, California, on Oct. 5, 2020. After being identified, according to a press release from the U.S. Marshals, Worthen ran from law enforcement, but was found and taken into custody after a short foot pursuit.
Later that month, Worthen arrived back in Camden in the custody of the Camden Police Department, which earlier had sent officers to obtain him from California. Worthen appeared before a judge and was denied bond. He is currently housed in Ouachita County Detention Center.