The trial for a man accused in the 2011 shooting death of Vilonia teen Amanda Allison will begin Tuesday morning in Cleburne County Circuit Court.

Cody Lynn Gorecke, 20, of Wilburn, pleaded not guilty in January to the second-degree murder of the 17-year-old girl, who was killed at a party on School Lane in Wilburn on January 15, 2011.

According to reports, a call was placed to 9-1-1 at 11 p.m. that night, reporting that an individual had been shot. A witness reported that Gorecke had been showing a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun to party attendees, reportedly telling them that the trigger was non-functional, and that “all it took was to pull the hammers back and let go.”

Jerrod Jones, 19, of Heber Springs was arrested in January and charged with criminal use of a prohibited weapon in connection with the shooting.

Jones reportedly admitted to sawing the barrel off to an illegal length of 12 inches and to knowing the shotgun didn’t function properly when he made arrangements to sell the shotgun to Gorecke on January 14.

Reports say Gorecke was impaired after having consumed a significant amount of alcohol and was holding the loaded shotgun in the kitchen area of the residence, approximately two feet from where Allison was sitting at the kitchen table when it discharged.

One shot struck Allison in the midsection; another shot hit the west wall of a bedroom adjacent to the kitchen. Allison was found dead at the scene by first responders.

Allison’s father, John Allison, is a math teacher at Vilonia High School, where her mother, Janice, also serves as a substitute teacher.

Gorecke is charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, criminal use of a prohibited weapon, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and minor in possession of alcohol.

(Megan Reynolds is a staff writer and can be reached by phone at 505-1277 or by e-mail at megan.reynolds@thecabin.net. To comment on this story and others, visit www.thecabin.net.)