Cracker Barrel beating case goes before a jury

Opening statements began this morning in the case against Troy Dale West, who prosecutors say savagely beat a female army reservist in front of her daughter at a Jonesboro Cracker Barrel restaurant.

Taking the stand first was the alleged victim, Tasha Hill, who is being painted by West’s attorney, Tony Axam, as a hot head. In poking holes at her character and credibility, Axam tried to paint her as a bully, citing a 2005 fight and a recent incident in which she supposedly threatened some of her neighbors after her home was burglarized.

Clayton County District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson told the jury that none of that was relevant in this particular case. She said that West beat up Hill, while screaming racial epithets at her.