02/24/2009

Associated Press

A woman's wrongful death lawsuit accusing a North Carolina town of failing to protect her slain daughter after a protective order was issued is moving forward.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported that the case is scheduled to start Tuesday in Yadkin County Superior Court. The case was delayed Monday and prospective jurors were sent home while attorneys and the judge met privately.

Vernetta Cockerham-Ellerbee sued the town of Jonesville and its police department four years ago.

The lawsuit contends that the department and two of its officers failed to protect 17-year-old Candace Cockerham, who was found stabbed and suffocated with duct tape Nov. 18, 2002. Her estranged husband Richard Ellerbee committed suicide about a week later.

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Information from: Winston-Salem Journal, http://www.journalnow.com