The capital murder trial of Donald Andrew Bess will be delayed until at least Thursday because he suffered a "major heart attack" Sunday night, one of his attorneys said this morning.
Donald Andrew Bess, 61, is accused of raping and killing Southern Methodist University student Angela Samota in 1984. Samota, 20, was stabbed in the chest 18 times, most likely with a knife from her kitchen.
Bess remains in the cardiac care unit at Parkland Memorial Hospital, said Robbie McClung, one of his attorneys. Bess is a diabetic, and his heart is damaged from a previous heart attack.
"They believe he will be ready for trial on Thursday," McClung said, referring to her client's doctors at Parkland.
Last Friday, doctors placed two stints in Bess' blocked arteries. Over the weekend, blood clots formed and pushed out those stints.
Throughout the trial, a registered nurse has been in court to monitor Bess' health. The nurse is not a uniform or scrubs, so the jury is not aware of Bess' health problems.
Prosecutors have said that DNA evidence connects Bess to the crime. Defense attorneys concede that Bess' DNA was inside Samota, but say he did not kill her.
If convicted, Bess could be sentenced to death.
