Court Grants Change of Venue Request for Suspect Accused of Murdering Hailey Dunn

SWEETWATER, TX – A District Judge has granted a request for a change of venue in the murder trial of Shawn Adkins, who is accused of murdering Hailey Dunn and disposing of her body in Scurry County.  

The murder trial will be moved from Colorado City in Mitchell County to Sweetwater in Nolan County according to court documents. 

Hailey was last seen leaving her home in December 2010 and was missing for years before her remains were found in a rural part of Scurry County near Lake JB Thomas in 2013.

Investigators pursued Adkins, who was then the live-in boyfriend of Hailey’s mother Billie, as a person of interest throughout the entire investigation but lacked evidence to arrest Adkins until 2021.  

As we reported in June, Adkins attorneys had requested the change of venue during a hearing in June because of the intense media attention surrounding the case.

Adkins has been charged with murder and tampering with evidence and is being held at the Mitchell County Jail on $2,000,000 bond.

The jury trial is now set for April 2023 in Sweetwater.