A duo accused of fatally bludgeoning two people in El Paso and Park counties in one day are scheduled for separate trials after pleading not guilty in El Paso County court.

A multiagency investigation that lasted over a week led to the arrests of Johnny Morris, 48, and his alleged co-conspirator, 44-year-old Hailey Cole, in the deaths of Stephen Walker, 37, and Timmy Huston, 65.

Walker was struck with a hammer and a dumbbell. Huston was shot in the kneecap and then hit in the head with a hammer, according to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by The Gazette. Prosecutors say the December 2024 killings were motivated by the duo’s need for a car.

Both are charged with first- and second-degree murder, as well as aggravated robbery and motor vehicle theft.

The defendants appeared in El Paso County court Friday — Cole to enter her plea and Morris for a pretrial readiness check-in.

Morris’ trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 11 and is expected to last eight days, court records show. Cole’s trial is set to begin Nov. 10 and is scheduled to last nine days.

As of Friday, Judge Amy Cano is expected to oversee Cole’s trial, but she said in court that she worked at the El Paso County District’s Attorney’s Office last year, potentially creating a conflict of interest.

While she feels comfortable presiding over the case based off judicial standards, she gave Cole’s defense counsel time to file a motion for recusal.

“We’re looking at it,” said Alex Steiner, one of Cole’s attorneys. “If we feel like we need to file something, then we will.”

If Cano is excused from the case, then it will go to a different division, meaning the trial could be rescheduled.