By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Jasper attorney Herbie Brewer has been retained to represent Pelham triple-homicide suspect Jon Staggs Jr., according to court documents.

Staggs, 20, was arrested by the Pelham Police Department on Sept. 9 and charged with three counts of capital murder and burglary after police said he shot and killed 19-year-old Simeon Gilmore, 22-year-old Joshua Smith and 22-year-old Casey Cumberland at Smith’s residence in the 2400 block of Chandabrook Drive in Pelham’s Chandalar subdivision.

Brewer and Staggs had a video conference with Shelby County prosecutors on Sept. 11, during which Staggs was “advised of the charges against him,” said Shelby County District Attorney Robby Owens.

Owens said the capital murder charges came because two or more people died in the incident, and because Staggs also was charged with allegedly burglarizing Smith’s house during the incident.

��The allegations include claims that he took items from the house,” Owens said.

As of Sept. 13, Staggs was being held in the Shelby County Jail without bond. No hearing dates had been set for Staggs, according to court documents.

“No bond is in effect, nor do I suspect it will be,” Owens said.

Funeral services for Cumberland were held at 11 a.m. on Sept. 13 at Charter Funeral Home before he was buried at Harless Cemetery in Alabaster. In lieu of flowers, Cumberland’s family asked for contributions to be made to a trust fund to be set up for Cumberland’s son.

Funeral services for Smith, who was a communication service technician, according to his obituary, will be held at 3 p.m. at Martin Funeral Home in Clanton. He will be laid to rest at the Antioch Methodist Cemetery in Maplesville.

Funeral services for Gilmore, the younger brother of former University of Alabama first-round draft pick Marcell Dareus, have not yet been finalized.

Dareus now plays for the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills. According to the Buffalo Bills’ website, Buffalobills.com, Dareus was excused from practice this week to return to Birmingham to be with his family.