Jury being selected for ex-DeKalb deputy's trial

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By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A jury is being chosen for the trial of a former DeKalb County Sheriff’s deputy charged with killing his wife and a day laborer.

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Derrick Yancey, a former DeKalb County deputy, disappeared while awaiting trial in the killing of his wife, Linday Yancey, and that of a day laborer.

DeKalb Sheriff's office Derrick Yancey, a former DeKalb County deputy, disappeared while awaiting trial in the killing of his wife, Linday Yancey, and that of a day laborer.

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The trial for Derrick Yancey is scheduled to start next week. Jury selection started Monday and could last all week, officials said.

Yancey, 51, is charged with two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon in connection to the death of his wife Linda Yancey and laborer Marcial Cax-Puluc. He faces a minimum of two life sentences, said an assistant to the judge.

On Monday, Yancey, dressed in a black suit and yellow tie, sat quietly as prosecutors and attorneys questioned potential jurors about news coverage of the case. Superior Court Judge Linda Hunter also questioned jurors about their schedules. The trial is scheduled to extend until Nov. 12.

Prosecutors and defense attorney Ruth McMullin declined to comment, citing a gag order issued by the judge.

In June 2008, Yancey told authorities that a day laborer had killed his wife at their Stone Mountain home. He had said he killed the laborer in self-defense, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors say Yancey was out on bond when he cut off his ankle monitor, boarded a bus and fled to Belize.