New Twist For A 14 Year Old Murder Case

Misplaced court documents could be the onset of a re-trial to a murder that happened some 14 years ago. After searching high and low, handfuls of county employees say they can't find the papers...and the stakes are high.

In 1994, Baker Steven Lucas was convicted of killing his mother, Tylerite Bette Lucas. In an appeal effort, it was discovered that a court reporters notes were missing from the trail. Wanting to resolve this issue, Assistant District Attorney Ed Marty says the next step is find raw video tape from the television network, court TV--who covered the trial from start to finish. That's the backup plan...but, without that videotape--things could look bleak.

It cost smith county over 220 thousand dollars to try the Lucas case. District Judge Kerry Russell has to respond to an October 11th deadline. That's when the 5th Court of Appeals expects an answer about the tapes.