Probable cause found in beating death

Published 12:00 am Friday, December 21, 2007

THE SELMA TIMES-JOURNAL

There were six witnesses who saw the brutal fight Thanksgiving night outside a Selma nightclub where a man was beaten to death.

The attorneys representing the Selma men charged in the murder of Charles DuBose asked police Thursday to tell which man delivered the blow that took his life.

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And neither of the two weapons used to beat DuBose outside D Night Spot at 205 Maxey St. have been recovered. An autopsy determined DuBose died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head. His body was discovered just before midnight Nov. 22.

District Judge Bob Armstrong ruled he found probable cause to allow prosecutors to present the case to the Dallas County grand jury next month. Prosecutors want them all indicted for murder, despite defense attorneys arguing there was no way to determine which blows killed DuBose.

DuBose, 34, of 1906 Third Ave., was beaten to death after he allegedly emptied his .38 revolver at Roderick Sanders outside the club. Sanders had told DuBose to move away from his vehicle, which prompted DuBose to shoot at him. Neely testified witnesses told police DuBose missed, had the gun taken from him by Matthew Smith and was beaten with it.

Sanders retrieved a .45 caliber pistol from his car and hit DuBose in the head, Neely said under oath.

The other four were reported to have beaten DuBose for several minutes until a witness insisted they stop, the police detective added while on the witness stand.