(Mobile, Ala.) - Wendy Stevens was worried... worried that her estranged husband, Michael Berry, would hurt her.
Court records show Berry had already been arrested for domestic violence and told to stay away from Wendy.
Police say he violated that order.
In June, 2010, the night before he was to appear in court to answer that charge, Wendy was shot down while using an ATM.
"We seen a truck pull in front of the lady at the ATM," said a witness. "He jumped out, ran to her car, shot twice through the window. Ran back to his truck and ran back to the car, shot three more times, then he drove off."
Wendy had been shot to death through the window of her car.
In the back seat were her four children, who saw it all.
And the man arrested and charged with killing Wendy Stevens?
Her estranged husband, Michael Berry.
Next month, Berry will go on trial for capital murder.
He will be the first in a long line of capital cases set for this fall and winter in Mobile Circuit Court.
"We're gonna be very busy this fall," admitted Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich.
At least six capital cases are set for the remainder of this year and into January.
Rich says it is unusual to have so many capital cases in such a short period of time.
"You know, it just fell that way in that some of the cases have been reset one or two times because the defense was not ready," said Rich. "Mitigating evidence, it generally takes a long time to get mitigating evidence in a death penalty case. And it just so happened that a number of these were already set for the fall."
Among them?
The case of Carlos Kennedy, accused of using a hammer to beat to death elderly Midtown resident Zoa White.
Also set for this fall, the capital case of 18 year old Derek Horton.
He's accused of killing 59 year old Jeanette Rampree in her Grand Bay mobile home.
Jerome Burton is also set for a capital murder trial this fall, accused of killing his wife and setting their home on fire.
And finally, two separate capital murder trials are set for a couple accused of a horrific crime that left locals shaking their heads in disbelief.
John Deblase, and his wife Heather Keaton, will be tried for the torture and death of their two children in December of 2010.
The D-A's office prosecutes dozens of cases everyday.
But capital murder cases require more depth of evidence, more staff and more jurors scrutiny.
"You know, we can do it with the staff we have," said Rich. "But, it's going to be very difficult. I'm not going to sugar coat it. It's going to be difficult, but we can do it, we're gonna do it, but we're gonna be pulling our hair out."
Then there are the jurors themselves.
Trying a capital case, where a possible death sentence is possible, often requires a little soul searching for some.
But Rich is hopeful they'll step up to the plate... at least six times over the next six months.
"It is everyone's civic duty and right and responsibility to serve on jury duty," said the DA. "And we hope that everyone takes that responsibility very seriously and they show up regardless of whether they think they might get on a capital case or not, because it is very important that we have citizens willing to come forward and serve on jury duty, capital murder case or not."
