Capital Murder Trial Begins in Fayetteville

The capital murder trial in the high profile 2009 human trafficking case that resulted in the death of 5-year-old, Shaniya Davis, will begin on Monday morning in the Cumberland County Superior Court

The accused, Mario Andrette McNeill, 32, is being represented by Fayetteville lawyers Terry Alford and Harold "Butch" Pope and will be tried by a jury panel of candidates that were notified last week.

The Feb. 18 trial was delayed after his legal team requested the 60 day delay on Jan. 11 after they had received discs of evidence, including video surveillance footage from the mobile home park where the child and her mother lived.

Bradley Lockhart, the former Fayetteville resident now sits on the Board of Directors for Stop Child Trafficking Now. He was slated to be the guest speaker for the fourth annual walk at Festival Park but had to reschedule due to work back in September. Lockhart is also the Founder of the Shaniya Speaks Foundation.

"It's extremely hard when you see other kids in the neighborhood and watch them grow up. That's one of my frequent thoughts when I sit on my porch," said Lockhart in Sunday's Fayetteville Observer news report.

Approximately 80 percent of human trafficking victims are women and girls, and up to 50 percent are minors, according to the U.S. Department of State.