Trial scheduled for man accused of Eau Claire homicide
A February trial has been scheduled for an Eau Claire man facing a homicide charge in the shooting death of a man who was dating his mother.
Jury selection will begin Feb. 8 and the trial will start the week of Feb. 12 in county Common Pleas Court for Dakota B. Hughes, 23, who has been charged with homicide and aggravated assault in the March 2, 2023 shooting of Seth Gooden Smith, 27, of Polk, Venango County.
The shooting took place in the home Hughes shares with his mother, Carri McKinney, on Main Street in Eau Claire, according to state police.
Police said Smith and McKinney entered the home while Hughes was in the kitchen. Hughes asked Smith to leave and said he wasn’t welcome there, and Smith responded and was walking toward Hughes when Hughes shot him, police said.
Smith was found lying on the dining room floor with three gunshot wounds to his chest and groin. Two empty shell casings were recovered from the home, police said.
In a 7:38 p.m. call to 911, Hughes reported the shooting and said the 9 mm handgun he used was in his truck that was parked outside the home, according to police. He also said he owned the gun and it was registered, police said.
A 9 mm handgun that was apparently used in the shooting was recovered from Hughes’ truck. The gun was sitting in plain view on the center console in the truck, police said.
Smith and McKinney had been dating for about a year, police said.
A loaded magazine was found in Smith’s pocket during his autopsy, police said.
Police said reports of domestic violence between Smith and McKinney had been made to state police in Venango County. The most recent incident was two weeks before Smith was killed.
On Tuesday, assistant district attorney Mark Lope and defense attorney Al Lindsay briefly discussed the trial with Common Pleas Court Judge Joseph Kubit.
Lope said prosecution witnesses, including a firearms and tool work expert, are lined up.
Kubit granted Lindsay’s request to allow potential jurors to be questioned individually in the selection process.
Lope and Lindsay agreed that the trial would last at least three days. Hughes is being held in the county prison without bail.
