SCOTTSVILLE – Two Tennessee residents charged with crimes in connection with a road fatality in Allen County are anticipated to go to trial later this month.

Annissa Stanton, 29, of Nashville, faces charges of murder, three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, first-degree criminal mischief, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, reckless driving, speeding, possession of an open alcoholic beverage container in a motor vehicle and other traffic offenses.

Stanton is accused of being the driver of a 2017 Nissan Murano that hit a 2006 Buick driven by Vernon D. Cooper, 78, of Scottsville, on Sept. 1, 2022, on U.S. 31-E.

Cooper died at The Medical Center at Scottsville.

Desiree O’Neal, 36, of Gallatin, Tennessee, has been identified as a passenger in the vehicle alongside Stanton, and faces charges of complicity to second-degree manslaughter and alcohol intoxication.

Police say the Nissan was registered to O’Neal and that she allowed Stanton to drive the vehicle while knowing that Stanton was intoxicated.

Both women are scheduled to appear May 13 in Allen Circuit Court for a jury trial.

Allen County Commonwealth’s Attorney Corey Morgan filed notice shortly after indictments were returned against both women that he would not extend a plea offer to either co-defendant.

Stanton, who is being held in Allen County Detention Center, and O’Neal, who is currently free on a partially secured $30,000 bond, appeared Tuesday in court for a pretrial conference.

Attorneys for both sides notified the court that trial preparations are ongoing.

Allen Circuit Judge Mark Thurmond heard a motion from Stanton’s attorney, Kayla Fugate of the Department of Public Advocacy, concerning the number of potential jurors she could strike from the jury pool during the jury selection process.

Under the state’s rules of criminal procedure, a defendant on trial alone would be able to move to strike at least eight potential jurors from the pool that the defendant suspects would not treat their client fairly but do not carry enough bias to be removed from the jury pool by the presiding judge.

With Stanton and O’Neal being tried together, each defendant is entitled to strike one additional potential juror.

Fugate argued for the ability to independently strike at least two and up to nine additional potential jurors on Stanton’s behalf, noting in court filings that Stanton and O’Neal are likely to have “mutually antagonistic defenses” that would prevent the co-defendants from ethically participating in the jury selection together.

Thurmond deferred a ruling on the motion Tuesday, scheduling another pretrial conference for May 7.

The crash was investigated by the Scottsville Police Department.

According to an arrest citation, Cooper’s vehicle was traveling east through the intersection of U.S. 31-E and Franklin Road when it was struck by the Nissan, which police say was traveling north on U.S. 31-E and failed to stop at a red light.

Stanton and O’Neal are alleged to have exhibited signs of impairment when questioned by police, and a bottle of gin was found in the front driver’s side area of the Nissan, according to prior court testimony.