WELLINGTON — A Sumner County jury deliberating in the case of Dennis “Wade” Farley was dismissed for the weekend Friday after failing to reach a verdict.
Jurors requested a transcript of testimony from key witness Stephanie Dixon. The court recorder prepared the transcript over the weekend, and the jury is scheduled to resume deliberations at 9:30 this morning.
Farley is charged with second-degree murder, a level two felony, in the Sept. 15, 2020, death of Lane Hallman, 23, of South Haven. Hallman was found deceased in a rural area of Sumner County.
A coroner’s report determined Hallman died from a fentanyl overdose. Investigators testified that text messages recovered from the weeks leading up to Hallman’s death appeared to show Farley and Hallman discussing the purchase of cocaine.
Dixon testified that she arrived at the location where Hallman was later found and picked up Farley, with whom she was in a relationship. She said Hallman appeared to be in distress but that Farley told her they needed to leave. Dixon also testified that Farley instructed her not to call 911 and never speak about the incident again.
Earlier Friday, Judge William Mott dismissed a separate charge of distribution of a controlled substance leading to death, leaving the second-degree murder charge as the sole count before the jury.