Trial date set for husband charged with Kat West's murder
COLUMBIANA, Ala. — The Shelby County man who made national headlines after he was arrested and charged with murdering his wife, an adult model, is scheduled to stand trial two and a half years after her death.
Jeff West, who was arrested and charged with murder of Kat West in February 2018, is scheduled to stand trial the week of September 14th. His arrest came more than a month after his wife was found dead outside the couple's Calera home. West was found half-dressed lying next to a liquor bottle. Court records stated she was killed by blunt force trauma.
READ: Husband charged with murder in death of Kat West
West was a mother and model who went by the name "Kitty Kat West" on Instagram and Twitter. Her social media pages linked to a subscription-only adult website. Her death and the investigation which followed garnered national attention and speculation given her online persona. Former Calera Police Chief Sean Lemley called it the highest profile case in the department's history.
Her husband's attorney, John Robbins said West was aware of his wife's online work but denied being responsible for his wife's death. Robbins said he planned to examine whether West's 'double life' played a role in her death.
West has been held in the Shelby County Jail on a $500,000 bond since his arrest. His defense tried unsuccessfully to have his bond reduced.
READ: Bond reduction denied for Jeff West in wife's murder case
Both of the couple's parents have stood in support of Jeff since his arrest.
“He’s a good man and he didn’t do this,” said Nancy Martin, Kat West's mother after pleading with a judge to have his bond reduced.
“I absolutely believe this with all my heart because I know what we went through after she passed away. He lived with me. We went to the funeral home together. We saw her body together. I saw him. You can’t fake what he went through when we were at the funeral home, crying and saying this can’t be real.”
A judge announced West is tentatively scheduled to stand trial beginning on September 14th. A backup date of October 19th was also listed in the judge's order. The trial will face unique challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jury selection will take place at the Shelby County Arts Center to allow the jury pool to socially distance within the facility's 10,000 square foot Grande Hall. The trial will be live-streamed to separate courtrooms for West's family and the public.
