Legion of experts lined up, testimony for Staley murder trial begins Monday

Testimony is set to begin Monday in Fort Worth for a closely watched murder case that has captured the community's attention and concern since 2-year-old Jason Wilder McDaniel was found unresponsive Oct. 11, 2018.

Ahead of that, jury selection is scheduled Wednesday for the trial of James Irven Staley III in Fort Worth.

He is accused of murdering Wilder at Staley's Country Club area home in the 2000 block of Irving Place. Authorities suspect the child was smothered with a pillow.

At stake for Staley, a 40-year-old Oklahoma businessman from Wichita Falls, is up to life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty and was free Tuesday from the Wichita County Law Enforcement Center on $1.25 million in bonds.

At stake for Wilder's parents, Amber and Robert "Bubba" McDaniel Jr., is justice as they see it for the murder of their child. Bubba, a mixed martial artist and coach, and Amber are well known in Wichita Falls.

They and their supporters in the #JusticeForWilder movement have long claimed Staley is responsible for the tragedy of the child's death and pushed for his arrest, which came two years after Wilder died.

Senior District Judge Everett Young cited concerns about safety, pre-trial publicity and threats from Bubba, 39, in the decision to move the trial to Fort Worth in August in an effort to get a fair and impartial jury.

Possible jurors are set to fill out questionnaires Wednesday. The prosecution and defense will begin questioning them Thursday.

A legion of witnesses and experts might take the stand when testimony begins Monday in Tarrant County Criminal District Court No. 3 in the Tim Curry Justice Center in downtown Fort Worth.

Witnesses subpoenaed range from Wichita County Public Defender David Bost to the child's mother and Staley's mother, Nancy.

The trial could become the battle of expert witnesses.

Tom Bevel, listed by both sides, was an expert for the prosecution in notorious South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh's double-murder trial. Murdaugh is accused of killing his wife and son.

Bevel has not testified in the ongoing trial, and defense attorneys are presenting their case.

Retired from law enforcement, Bevel of Edmond, Oklahoma, has served as a consultant in crime scene reconstruction and bloodstain pattern analysis.

The defense team has 25 specific experts in their lineup and claims all witnesses designated by prosecutors or used by them as certain expert witnesses. The state has designated about 100 expert witnesses.

Wilder died while staying at Staley's home with Amber, who was dating Staley during a time when she was not together with Bubba, according to allegations in court and autopsy records.

Staley is charged with capital murder of a person under 10 years old and with first-degree murder. A jury is expected to choose between the charges. He maintains his innocence of all allegations related to Wilder and his death.

Staley is also charged with injury to a child in connection with an Aug. 31, 2018, incident allegedly involving Wilder and with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, according to court records.

Staley is suspected of moving Wilder's body to stage the crime scene, according to allegations in court documents. Injury to a child and evidence tampering is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Amber, 32, was charged with endangering a child, Wilder, and with tampering with cell phone evidence including messages from Staley, according to allegations in court records.

She has pleaded not guilty and was free Tuesday from jail on $60,000 in bonds, according to online jail and court records. Child endangerment is punishable by up to two years in a state jail.

Bubba is serving six years of probation. He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with a road rage incident Aug. 15, 2020, in Wichita Falls, according to court documents.

He will avoid a felony conviction if he successfully serves his term of deferred-adjudication probation.

Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Legion of experts lined up to testify in Staley murder trial