TUSCOLA – A trial date has been set for one of the men accused of killing Douglas County Chief Deputy Tommy Martin.

The trial for William B. Thompson, 27, will start Feb. 9, 2009, at the Macon County Courthouse in Decatur. Thompson and his co-defendant, Yusef K. Brown, 24, are accused of shooting Mr. Martin in the midst of a crime spree occurring one year ago today. The men are also accused of a home invasion in rural Camargo that day, and Thompson is accused of taking about seven hostages at First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust in Arcola.

Douglas County State's Attorney Kevin Nolan said he's blocking out all of February and March for Thompson's trial.

"This is just going to be a long trial because a lot ... happened," Nolan said.

Nolan, who is seeking the death penalty for both men, said Brown will be tried after Thompson's trial is over. Brown's trial may not follow immediately, Nolan said.

Next February may seem far off, but Nolan said he'll have to work diligently to meet deadlines for the case before then.

The next time both defendants are scheduled to be in court is Jan. 15, when both the prosecution and the defense file pretrial motions and other paperwork. A final pretrial hearing is scheduled for Feb. 2, and jury selection will begin at 9:30 the morning of Feb. 9.

It's just a matter of all involved getting their cases together, Nolan said, "then things will start flowing fast and furious."