Visalia man to go on trial for girlfriend's murder

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A judge has determined a Visalia man will stand trial for his girlfriend's murder.

An autopsy showed Jamie Atkerson, 38, died from drowning, but a deeper investigation revealed her drowning death was murder.

Monday, the district attorney's office called on several experts from outside of the area to help prove their case -- drowning experts who had enough evidence for a judge to hold Michael Huckaby, 65, over for murder.

Atkerson's mother, Arlene Lara, says she plans on being at every court hearing for Huckaby. She said, "Yes, because she can't speak for herself now. She's gone."

A judge determined there's enough evidence to charge Huckaby with the 2011 murder of Atkerson, his girlfriend at the time. Huckaby wasn't charged with the crime until more than two years later because of a lack of evidence in Atkerson's drowning death at the mobile home they shared by Mooney Grove Park.

Now, Lara feels justice will finally be served. She said, "I know Lt. Smythe put an extremely large amount of work into this case, and I appreciate everything Mr. Tripp is following up on."

Cameras were not allowed inside court for Huckaby's preliminary hearing. The district attorney's office called on two out-of-the-area experts to help prove their case. A water death investigator testified that the lack of water on the bathroom floor and the fact that only the victim's upper body was soaking wet proves she was killed by drowning. Another medical examiner from North Carolina testified that her fingers weren't wrinkly -- proof she wasn't in the tub as long as Huckaby says she was.

"This case it presents a unique set of facts and we've always had the belief that this was more than just an accidental drowning, that it was actually murder, but it required a lot of investigation by Visalia Police Department and a lot of experts that we don't have locally," said Anthony Fultz, assistant district attorney for Tulare County.

At the time of Atkerson's death, she had toxic levels of the prescription drug Xanax in her system, and her blood-alcohol level was 0.18. Her mother also says Atkerson and Huckaby were in an abusive relationship for years.

"There was a history of a lot of physical abuse in this case. Just a few months before he had tried to strangle her she had marks all over her neck, but she was so scared," said Lara.

Just three years before the murder, Huckaby's previous wife died in the same mobile home. Her death was ruled accidental.

Huckaby will be back in court later this month to enter a plea to the murder charge.