Jury seated in felony murder, arson trial of Robins airman

A jury has been selected for the felony murder and arson trial of a Robins Air Force Base airman.

Senior Airman Charles Amos Wilson III, 28, a support member of the 461st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, is accused of agreeing to pay a friend to set fire to Wilson’s rented residence in Warner Robins on Oct. 2, 2011. His friend Demetrius Hardy, 27, who was a civilian worker at Robins, died eight days later from injuries he sustained in the early morning blaze.

Wilson has pleaded not guilty to felony murder, arson and other related charges against him.

The jury, known as a court-martial panel, was seated late Tuesday afternoon. Opening statements from prosecution and defense attorneys are now expected Wednesday morning.

The trial is expected to last seven to 10 days.

Wilson is facing life with the possibility of parole or life without parole if he’s convicted of felony murder in Hardy’s death. If Wilson is convicted, the same jury determines the sentence.

In military courts, the convening authority, Lt. Gen. Lee K. Levy II, reviews the verdict and the sentence.

The military trial is being held at the Houston County Courthouse. It is the first of three courts-martial proceedings against Wilson.

The second is scheduled for June 6. Wilson is accused of threatening and assaulting a retired technical sergeant in July 2012. He allegedly held a gun to her head, then fired it into a field near his home before later driving his pickup toward her in a threatening manner.

In the third case, Wilson is charged with the premeditated murder in the fatal shooting of his fiancee, Tameda Ferguson, and her unborn child at her Dawson home in August 2013 for $1 million in insurance money. Wilson may face the death penalty if convicted. A trial date has not been set.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Jury seated in felony murder, arson trial of Robins airman."