In Palestine, an Anderson County jury sentenced Beunka...

In Palestine, an Anderson County jury sentenced Beunka Adams to death Sunday afternoon for the capital murder of 37-year-old Kenneth Vandever. Adams, 21, will be formally sentenced at 11 a.m. Monday by state District Judge Bascom Bentley III. Adams and co-defendant Richard Cobb, 19, robbed a convenience store in Rusk around midnight on Sept. 2, 2002. The pair then forced two store clerks, Nikki Dement, 21, and Candace Driver, 25, and Vandever, a customer, into a waiting car. Adams and Cobb drove the 3 victims to a remote pea patch. Mrs. Dement was sexually assaulted by Adams. Later, Adams and Cobb told the three victims to kneel, then shot each of them one by one. Vandever was shot 1st in the back. Assuming the victims were dead, the suspects left. Vandever died from his injuries. The 2 women survived the attack and testified for the state. On January 17 (see), Cobb received the death penalty by a Cherokee County jury for his involvement. During his trial, Cobb testified he did in fact shoot Vandever and handed the shotgun to Adams, who then shot both females. Adam's trial was held in Palestine because Bentley granted a change of venue to prevent the possibility of a tainted and prejudiced jury pool.