Death penalty won't be sought for suspects
HUNTSVILLE — State prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against co-defendants in the death of Melissa Chandler, District Attorney General Wm. Paul Phillips said Monday morning.
Gary Lamar Sellers, 39, and Robert C. Bell, 37, are both charged with first degree murder, arson, and other charges in the September death of the 37-year-old Chandler, who died in a fire at the Butler Lane, Helenwood, residence she shared with her husband, Timothy Chandler.
Sellers and Bell are charged with starting the fire. Authorities allege that the two men wanted to scare Timothy Chandler — who faced and later pled guilty to charges of possession of child pornography — out of their neighborhood.
Phillips said that the state will not seek the death penalty, nor will they seek a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. However, prosecutors will be seeking a life sentence for both defendants, who are scheduled to go to trial on April 10, 2008, on the charges against them.
The Labor Day weekend fire began in the early morning hours, with both Chandlers trapped inside the home. A neighbor assisted the Chandlers in escaping by knocking in a rear door that had previously been nailed shut, apparently by the home’s owner. However, Mellisa Chandler later died, allegedly as the result of injuries sustained in the fire.