Shocking testimony against the man accused of murdering a county code enforcer

Shocking testimony Tuesday against the man accused of murdering Shelby County code enforcer Mickey Wright. Dale Mardis appeared in court to face murder charges in the case. Testimony came during a preliminary hearing. It's testimony that there may not be a body to find in the disappearance of code enforcement officer Mickey Wright, testimony by three witnesses that the defendant, Dale Mardis, confessed to the murder of Wright.

Prosecutors called several witnesses in this probable cause hearing. First up was Mickey Wright's widow Frances. She told the court her husband was supposed to bring her lunch the day he disappeared. Frances Wright said, "I thought he stood me up. I called to see what happened. I got his voice mail." She never saw him again. Frances Wright sat in the courtroom as three prosecution witnesses testified Dale Mardis, the defendant, told them he killed Mickey Wright in self defense. Wright had gone to the business to drop off a courtesy citation in April 2001, requesting the property be cleaned up. The car sales business was owned by the Dockery brothers. It was on property owned by Dale Mardis. Both Dockery brothers testified Mardis told them he killed Mickey Wright in self defense. Robert Dockery testified, "He said they had gotten into an argument. Wright said he has what he wanted and he reached for his gun and shot him." Dockery said Mardis told him he buried the body. "He said he cut it up and burned it."

Another witness, Annie Brandon, who worked at the car lot, testified Mardis confessed to her that he shot Wright and buried the body on a farm in Mississippi. She also testified Mardis told her he dug up the body, cut it up and burned it and threw the ashes away.

The three witnesses never told police any of this because they were afraid of Mardis. They came forward when he was arrested and after they feared they might be accused of the crime. Witness Annie Brandon testified that she never saw any physical evidence of the murder.

Judge Louis Montesi ruled there is probable cause to send this case to the grand jury. He also denied bond for Dale Mardis. Mickey Wright's body has never been found. According to testimony, the body was destroyed and there's nothing to find.

The Mickey Wright case has been open for more than three years. Wright was reported missing on April 17th of 2001. A few days later a jogger discovered Wright's county I-D and eventually his county issued truck in a remote field in Marshall County, Mississippi. March 15th of this year, a chancery court judge declared Mickey Wright dead as a result of foul play. Dale Mardis was arrested and charged with murder last month.