KAUFMAN -- An FBI crime scene team searched the home and yard of Eric Williams, the disbarred justice of the peace accused in last year's Kaufman County prosecutor murders.
The search came one day before a court hearing in which Williams' attorneys will ask a judge to further delay his December trial. The judge denied the request, and said the trial will begin Dec. 1 as planned.
Eric and Kim Williams have been accused in the slaying of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse on Jan. 31, 2013. Hasse, 57, was gunned down by a masked man as he walked to the downtown Kaufman courthouse.
District Attorney Mike McLelland, 63, and his wife Cynthia, 65, were slain in their Forney home over Easter weekend. McLelland and Hasse had prosecuted Williams in a burglary and theft case the year before.
Among the items the FBI team was looking for is the assault weapon used in the McLelland killings. With the help of Kim Williams, authorities have already recovered the gun used in the Hasse's murder earlier his year from Lake Tawakoni.
An FBI spokeswoman said the Dallas-based evidence response team was assisting the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department.
"We can confirm law enforcement activity at this address," Kaufman County Sheriff's Capt. Fred Klingelberger said Thursday morning.
The Williams' home, located in a quiet subdivision, was previously searched by police after the murders.
Special prosecutors, Bill Wirskye and Toby Shook, are seeking the death penalty for Eric Williams.
Last week in court filings, prosecutors disclosed for the first time that Eric Williams had other assassination targets including current District Attorney Erleigh Norville Wiley, and his one-time boss, retired state District Judge Glen Ashworth.
When Williams goes on trial, he is being tried on the indictment for the McLellands.
Prosecutors contend the murders of Hasse and Mike McLelland are inextricably linked and are seeking to introduce evidence and details related to the Hasse case during the trial.
Authorities contend the couple began plotting the murders after McLelland and Hasse successfully prosecuted Williams, which resulted in his removal as a justice of the peace in 2012. Williams also was stripped of his law license. A judge sentenced him to probation in that case.
The case has been moved to Rockwall County.
Dallas County District Judge Mike Snipes is presiding over the case after a Kaufman County judge recused himself.
Jury selection begins later this month. Eric Williams is currently being held in the Rockwall County Jail.
