Judge makes pre-trial ruling in Walhalla homicide case

A magistrate has decided the Oconee Grand Jury should hear the State’s case against Kenneth Strother Collins Jr., charged with the stabbing death of Jeremy Lee Little nearly two months ago inside a Walhalla home. Two other people, including the granddaughter of the home owner, are co-defendants in the case. But a Walhalla police officer testified this morning his department believes Collins stabbed Little twice—the second wound proving fatal. Magistrate Blake Norton referred three charges against Collins to the grand jury: murder, kidnapping, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. From the witness stand, Capt. Paul Harris described a bloody scene at 505 N. Laurel and a trail of blood that led him and other investigators to the bedroom on January 11 where they found Little’s body wrapped in sheets, legs tied with tape, and a sock in his mouth. According to Harris, investigation revealed that Collins had met Little the night before at the nearby Walhalla Gardens Apartments, where the two transacted a dope deal. The next morning Harris said Little  had gone to the N. Laurel home because he had not gotten money for the meth he had sold to Collins. A 9-1-1 call dialed by a man from Walhalla Gardens Apartments alerted the police to what had happened down the road. The officer said the three people eventually arrested—Collins, Megan Crowe, and Andy Cobb— were arrested a few hours later after they hid inside the attic of the house. The investigators discovered their presence when, as Harris described it, one of the defendants fell through the ceiling. The police found a gun they said belonged to victim Little and confiscated a dagger-type knife, which  sent to the state police for lab tests. Harris was the state’s only witness during the preliminary hearing and answered questions by Deputy Solicitor David Wagner and Public Defender Wilson Burr. Defense lawyer Burr sat next to Collins who did not speak and was dressed in jail clothing.