Blair trial: Minkley accepts plea and provides testimony

After accepting a plea deal Wednesday that would give him life in prison, Bill Minkley’s testimony Thursday disclosed more on the events leading to the death of Leah Martin. There was no indication if the plea deal taken by Minkley will affect his possible involvement in two other murders that took place in Fort Worth in 2014, which caused Minkley to be transferred from the Young County jail to a Tarrant County facility. During his testimony at the Elton “E.C.” Carroll Blair murder trial, Minkley admitted to striking Martin in the head and upper torso with a pry-bar he found inside E.C.’s Auto Repair in Graham, where Minkley said he and Ross Hellams agreed to murder Martin at the behest of Blair. “I found a pry bar and walked through the office door,” Minkley said. “… She jumped up and I was walking toward her and hit her on the top of the head. She fell down and I hit her in the back of the neck.” In order to prevent pooling blood, Minkley said Hellams then retrieved plastic wrap and spooled it around Martin’s head. Minkley believed the blows had killed Martin until he saw her shallow breath beating against the plastic. Tarrant County Coroner Susan J. Roe determined asphyxiation as the cause of death. For the rest of this story, subscribe to our print or online edition.