Grand jury convenes

By Katie Stallcup

Published: May 5, 2008

The murder of Auburn University freshman Lauren Burk and the death of an infant discovered in a drainage ditch earlier this year in Opelika could be among the cases to be presented to the current Lee County grand jury.

The grand jury convened Monday at the Lee County Justice Center.

Jury members were selected Monday morning, and proceedings began Monday afternoon, Lee County Circuit Clerk Corinne Hurst said.

Hurst said she estimated the grand jury proceedings could continue until Wednesday of next week. She said she could not share information as to who or what cases might go before the jury.

“Anything going before the grand jury is secret until an indictment is returned and (the individual) is arrested,” Hurst said.

Law enforcement officials have said they expect the Burk and infant cases, among others, to be presented in this grand jury session.

Courtney L. Lockhart, 23, of Smiths Station faces three capital murder charges in the March 4 death of Burk. The charges are capital murder during a kidnapping, captial murder during a robbery and capital murder during an attempted rape.

The infant’s body was discovered on Feb. 4 in a drainage ditch at Tree Tops Apartments on Birmingham Highway in Opelika.