The rising number of murders in Selma and Dallas County are resulting in crowded courtrooms as well as crowded jails.

Dallas County Circuit Court, which convenes next week, will see eight capital murder cases on the docket. The number, District Attorney Michael Jackson said, is not unusual.

“We have murders on the docket every time,” he said. “We have murders every year, and that leads to murders on the docket each time. We’ve rarely had a year without one.”

The large amount of murder trials, Jackson said, can be a challenge to his staff. Several meetings are held in preparation.

“We always take a look at what we have and divide them up,” he said. “Murder trials can be tough because there is so much you have to do. We spend a lot of time with the families and sometimes it all depends on how fast you get information from forensics teams.”

Jackson said the staff has moved more than 100 cases in his seven years in office. There were 20 on the docket in 2004 and 14 in 2003.

There are 98 cases on the docket altogether, including the capital murder trials.

Those appearing on charges of capital murder include Aaron Harris, Zachariah Wilson, Leon Hudson, Johnny Lee Dukes, Michael Darshawn Hunter, Brandon Lewis, Carlton Reynolds and Jamorrious Sallie.

Harris, Dukes, Hunter and Lewis are tied to the same case, the shooting death of Rosjah J. Butler Jr.

Reynolds and Sallie were arrested for the July 15, 2008 beating of J.P. Lee. The teenagers were charged initially with assault.

They are accused of beating up Lee at Taylor’s Restaurant on Cecil Jackson Bypass..

Zachariah Wilson will stand trial on the  April 13, 2007 shooting death of Jerry Lee Moore, 32, of Marion.