"I heard Mr. Wesley ask 'Why are you shooting me?'" Martin Celis, a migrant worker who had worked for Stanley Cole for years, said through his interpreter Friday.
Those were the last words anyone heard before Wesley Cole died.
Celis was one of three witnesses for the Commonwealth who presented evidence at the preliminary hearing against 55-year-old James Bryant Hudson, who is facing capital and first degree murder charges.
Following the testimony in Halifax County General District Court, Judge Dickerson certified the case to the grand jury.
During the hearing, public defender Buddy Ward asked only clarifying questions of the prosecution's witnesses.
Hudson is accused of the July 3 shotgun deaths of husband and wife Thomas Wesley Cole and Patsy Ayers Cole, and Wesley's brother Walter Stanley Cole.
The 4:45 p.m. incident occurred on Virgie-Cole Road.
Celis painted a graphic picture of a summer afternoon in the Hyco community.
"I was watering some plants in the Cole garden," he said.
"Mr. Wesley was with me and later on got in a truck with Mr. Stanley," he added.
The migrant worker further testified he saw the truck go to the driveway and be stopped by a vehicle operated by Hudson.
"Mr. Wesley and (Hudson) got out of the truck and were standing by the driver's side," Celis said.
He added that Stanley Cole was in the passenger side of the Cole vehicle.
A conversation ensued that lasted for a few minutes, according to Celis.
"After that, Mr. Wesley got in his truck and moved it to the side of the road.
"Then (Hudson) got in his truck and pulled out a large gun.
"I saw (Hudson) discharge the weapon, when that happened I ran," the farm worker said through his interpreter.
Celis testified that while he was fleeing the scene he heard more shots.
"I heard Mr. Wesley ask, 'Why are you shooting me?'"
Jennifer Reagan, a neighbor who lives in a home directly across from the Virgie-Cole Road residence of Stanley Cole, testified she was returning home from work at the time.
"I saw Hudson leaning against his truck.
"He was leaning against his truck with his gun propped up," she said.
"Then I went to my mailbox and heard gunshots," she added.
Reagan then testified that she looked across the street to see Hudson driving around the side of the Cole home.
"He pulled around the front to the garden.
"Patsy was in the garden.
"(Hudson) raised his gun up, Patsy said 'What are you doing?' and he just shot her," the neighbor testified.
Commonwealth's Attorney John Greenbacker asked the witness if she observed Patsy Cole menace or provoke the defendant in any way.
"No," she testified.
"I went in the house and called 911," Reagan said.
She further testified that officers arrived on the scene within 10-15 minutes.
Reagan said she observed the defendant leaving the property, which shared the driveway with the Cole property, in a different vehicle.
Ricky Poole said he was a family friend who went to the Cole residence shortly after officers arrived.
"Wesley was lying in a ditch on the right (of the driveway) beside the truck.
"Stanley was in the passenger seat of the truck.
"I saw Patsy lying in a row of tomatoes in the garden," Poole testified.
The only other sounds in the courtroom Friday were the muffled sobs of the victims' friends and relatives.
Hudson was captured in the North Fork Church Road on July 4 following an exhaustive 24-hour manhunt that included law enforcement officers from multiple jurisdictions.
Officers recovered a Browning automatic shotgun, several loose shells and a box of shells, along with a .38 cal. revolver, speed loader and box of ammunition for the handgun at the arrest scene.
Stanley Cole, 56, was the father of four and owner of the South Boston Livestock Market.
Thomas Wesley Cole, 64, was a retired combing plant manager at Burlington.
Patsy Ayers Cole, 64, was a retired medical professional.
Halifax County Sheriff D.J. Oakes said following the arrest that law enforcement suspects a long-standing dispute over property rights triggered the violence.

The 25th annual North Halifax Volunteer Fire Department Marathon fund-raiser was a rousing success Saturday, adding over $24,000 to the treasury, according to NHVFD Treasurer James Burton.
The fire department received $9,817 in pledges and donations, Burton said yesterday.
In addition, the NHVFD Ladies Auxiliary cleared $14,817 in food sales and chances on the quilt for a total of $24,182, according to the treasurer.
"We had a very successful day," Burton said yesterday.
"The weather cooperated wonderfully. The skies were blue and it wasn't too hot.
"It's been so hot this summer, I figure people were happy to be outside, happy to enjoy the free entertainment," added Burton.
During the fund-raising event, 400 gallons of stew were sold, 400 pounds of barbecue, and three cases of chicken.
Although it was hard to determine a crowd estimate for the day, Burton said, "We had 250 chairs set up, and they were filled most of the time."
Contest Winners
Winners of the firemen's competition were:
· Water battle contest, South Boston Fire Department.
· One-man hose contest, Clarksville Fire Department.
· The filler-up contest, the Clarksville Fire Department.
· The four-man ladder competition, Clarksville Fire Department.
The overall competition winners were: Clarksville, first; Triangle VFD, second; South Boston Fire Department, third.
Other winners included Tammy Anderson of Nathalie, winner of the raffled quilt; Sharleen Gulley of South Boston, winner of the lap quilt; Jimmy Waller of Nathalie, winner of the wine keg; Lisa Collins of Red House, winner of a birdhouse.
"I would like to thank everyone for their support," Burton said yesterday.
"Our ladies auxiliary did a tremendous job preparing food for everybody, and we sold everything they fixed."

Brian Lamont Woody, 22, of Porter Lane in South Boston was arrested Thursday by members of the Halifax/South Boston Regional Narcotic Enforcement Task Force.
Woody, who has been a fugitive for approximately three years, was charged with failure to appear in circuit court for his trial on drug charges, buying or receiving a firearm knowing it was stolen, possession of a concealed firearm and attempting to intimidate a police officer.
He is being held in the Blue Ridge Regional Jail in Halifax without bond.
Woody was recently arrested in New Jersey.
"He told New Jersey authorities that his name was Derrick Medley," Maj. R.S.B. Pulliam said yesterday.
The New Jersey officers checked the computer and realized Medley was wanted in Halifax County on drug charges.
When the New Jersey authorities contacted the task force, the local officers advised them that the person they had in custody was probably Brian Woody, according to Pulliam.
"We advised them that we had charges on Woody and Medley, and they were fugitives," Pulliam observed.
During questioning, Woody continued to maintain that he was Derrick Medley, according to the officer.
"New Jersey authorities processed Woody as Medley on their drug charges," Pulliam said.
Halifax County Sheriff's Deputies picked up Woody in New Jersey and brought the fugitive back to Halifax County.
"When asked for his name, Woody told the officers that he was Derrick Medley," the officer noted.
Members of the task force told him that his identity was known, and he was arrested on outstanding indictments and warrants, according to reports.
"Woody acknowledged his identity when confronted with this information," Pulliam said.
Additional charges are anticipated against Woody locally and in New Jersey.
The firearm charges are from warrants obtained by South Boston police in reference to a traffic stop in 1999.

Will Halifax County High School get a new track and new tennis courts next year?
The answer may come tonight as the Halifax County School Board will continue to debate that question at its regular monthly meeting.
Tonight's 7 p.m. meeting is open to the public and will be held in the public meeting room at the Mary M. Bethune Office Complex in Halifax.
Discussions regarding the proposed two new athletic facilities have bounced around for the past couple of months without resolution.
However, with the Virginia High School League's alignment of sports seasons next year bringing boys and girls tennis together in the same season, and with an obvious need for extensive repairs to existing courts, new tennis courts are fast becoming a necessity as opposed to being a luxury.
A new track facility is also needed.
The track at Tuck Dillard Stadium is in such bad condition that the school has not been able to hold a home track meet for at least five years, a situation that has forced the school's track teams to go on the road to compete in the sport.
Over the past two years, Halifax County Middle School has lost home dates for track meets as other schools, with better facilities,land those dates.
The middle school had also hosted the Southside Middle School Conference Championship Meet for a number of years, but lost that opportunity two years ago when the meet was moved to Nottoway, which had a new facility.
Halifax County School Superintendent Dennis Witt said Friday it will cost in the neighborhood of $800,000 to add a new tennis court complex with six courts and construct a new standard 400-meter track.
Money is available to undertake that project, he said.
"The money would come out of the school construction fund," Witt said.
"We would still have enough money to support Phase I of our capital improvements program."
Witt said engineers were recently brought to the Halifax County High School campus in an effort to determine the best locations for a new track and tennis courts.
The engineers, Witt said, recommended a site just above the faculty parking lot at the high school for the tennis courts.
There was only one site on the school campus that the engineers deemed appropriate for the track.
That site, Witt said, would take the track around the high school's football practice field.
Such a move, he said, would also give the football program more room to use as practice area.
Revamping the current track at Tuck Dillard Stadium is not a viable option, Witt noted, because it would disturb other existing facilities, That track is also not a standard 400-meter track.
A circumstance that recently came into play could make the decision regarding the proposed new athletic facilities a tough one for the school board.
Witt said some school board members expressed interest at the last board meeting in acquiring a 16-acre tract of land located between the high school baseball field and Route 129 that is for sale.
"The price, between $800,000 and $850,000, seemed to be prohibitive," Witt said.
"But, some of the board members expressed an interest in the land for the future expansion of the high school campus."
The likelihood is that the school board would not be financially able to both purchase the land and construct the new tennis courts and track.
Whatever the outcome, the school board will need to make a decision soon, particularly if the proposed tennis courts and track are to be constructed and completed in time for use for the 2003-2004 season.
Other than the matter of the athletic facilities, the agenda for tonight's meeting is fairly light.
The only new business on the agenda is a proposed revision to the school system's truancy policy.

Halifax County's win over Dinwiddie in Friday night's home opener was easy ­ a lot easier than Comets coach James Hodges imagined.
"I really didn't know that we would blow the game open that easily," Hodges said after his team scored on each of its first eight possessions and blew out Dinwiddie 56-20 in its home opener to extend its record to 2-0.
"I was hoping we would. But you never really know."
Second-year Dinwiddie coach Grayson Throckmorton said it was a case of his young team making mistakes against a talented Comets squad.
"We're very young and made a boatload of mistakes, mistakes I didn't foresee us making, mistakes I was hoping we wouldn't make," said Throckmorton, a Halifax County native and former Comets assistant football coach.
"We just didn't play very good assignment football. They (Halifax) are a very good football team. My hat goes off to their football team and we're going to continue to work to get better."
If you blinked too often or too long you missed the better portion of Halifax County's romp over the Generals.
The Comets needed less than a quarter to gain a three-touchdown edge. Once they reached that point, they were never challenged.
For the second week in a row and the third time in as many weeks (counting the season-opening Benefit Game against Dan River), the Comets rolled up over 400 yards of total offense, finishing the night with a total of 440 yards and 21 first downs.
Comets tailback Alonzo Coleman ran for three touchdowns and his 224 yards of rushing in 11 carries fell just 18 yards shy of the Halifax County single-game record of 242 yards held by Greg Medley.
Hodges said afterward he was not aware that Coleman was that close to breaking the school record when he took his talented tailback out of action after the first offensive series of the second half.
"I wanted Alonzo to get over 200 yards and he did that," said Hodges.
"I felt that was a good night. We could have left him in there like some teams do and he could have gotten 300 yards easy. He could have gotten 400 yards. Of course, he could have gotten hurt, too.
"We're not here to be beating people in the ground," added Hodges.
"We're here to do well. When we have an opportunity like this, and like last week against Bluestone, we let kids play because we need to know about some of them. Also, they've been out there busting their humps during the hot summer against our first team offense and defense and deserve a chance to play."
Along with Coleman's big night, Comets quarterback Karl Staten threw for 110 yards and connected with Brent Long for two aerial touchdowns to round out the Comets' victory.
"We went after it," Hodges said.
"It was a good night all the way around ­ defensively and offensively."
The game had a torrid start with the two teams scoring five touchdowns in the first 12-minute quarter and the Comets scoring on each of their six first-half possessions.
Scores on both of their first two possessions of the second half, completed the rout as the Comets rang up a 50-point edge before Dinwiddie scored twice in the final eight minutes.
Halifax County needed only three plays and a minute and 29 seconds to put the first points on the scoreboard as Coleman started the night by taking a pitch from Staten and running 67 yards down the right side for a touchdown with 10:31 left in the opening quarter.
Two runs up the middle by fullback Dante Roberts that tallied a total of three yards set up the big run by Coleman. Adam Reeves' kick gave the Comets a quick 7-0 lead.
Dinwiddie needed only 21 seconds to answer the Comets' score.
The Generals' sophomore tailback, Khalee Prothro, galloped 61 yards around the left side on Dinwiddie's first play from scrimmage to answer Coleman's score.
Jonathan Madison's kick failed to hit its mark, leaving the Comets with a 7-6 lead with 10:10 left in the first quarter.
That score gave Hodges and his team a few anxious moments.
"I was like 'oh my Lord, not another horse race, I can't stand this,'" Hodges said.
"Fortunately we scored and our defense stopped them and we scored again."
Halifax started its second possession on its own 38-yard line and went the distance in five plays with Coleman scoring his second touchdown of the night on a 20-yard sprint with 8:02 left in the first quarter.
The Comets tacked on a two-point conversion with Staten flipping a short pass to Kevin Reynolds for the score and a 15-6 lead.
After Halifax forced Dinwiddie to go three plays and out, the Comets needed only one play on their next possession, a 53-yard aerial from Staten to Long with 5:40 left in the quarter, to extend its lead. The point-after by Reeves put the Comets up 22-6.
Hodges said the call for the pass play to Long was the right call at the right time.
"It was an opportunity to throw it and we threw it," he said.
"It helps you break the game open and get them down while you can."
The Comets continued their defensive dominance by holding Dinwiddie to a total of three yards in three plays and then having Jonathan Barbour block the Generals' attempted punt and recover the ball at the Dinwiddie 10-yard line.
A five-yard penalty against the Generals moved the ball to the 5-yard line and Roberts carried the ball into the end zone from there for yet another score, this one coming with 3:40 left in the first period. Reeves' kick put the Comets up 29-6.
Halifax held Dinwiddie at bay again and started the second quarter at the Dinwiddie 48-yard line.
From there the Comets needed only five plays and two minutes and four seconds to score.
This time it was Staten doing the honors with a one-yard plunge with 9:56 left in the first half. Reeves' kick failed, leaving the Comets up 35-6.
Halifax County held Dinwiddie to 20 yards in six plays on Dinwiddie's next possession and appeared to have another score when Ricky Petty fielded the Dinwiddie punt and raced 79 yards into the end zone.
The touchdown was called back as the result of a penalty on the Comets that resulted in the Comets getting the ball on their own 22-yard line with 5:30 left in the half.
All the penalty did was to delay the inevitable as the Comets mounted a 10-play scoring drive that culminated with Staten connecting with Long on a 21-yard aerial strike with 13.9 seconds left in the half.
Staten and Long combined to add a two-point conversion as Long made a nice tip-toe catch of a Staten pass near the back of the end zone that put the Comets up 43-6 at the break.
The second half amounted to little more than a mop-up operation for the Comets as they scored on both of the first two possessions.
Halifax County's first score of the second half came on a four-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with Coleman scoring on a 31 yard run with 4:24 left in the third period. Reeves' kick put the Comets up 50-6.
The Comets' second score was set up when Tyrone Terry blocked a Dinwiddie punt and returned it for an apparent touchdown. However, the touchdown was called back as an official ruled that Tery stepped out of bounds on the 1-yard line.
A five-yard penalty against the Comets put the ball back to the 6-yard line but Brandon Richardson scored on the next play. Reeves' kick was blocked, leaving the Comets with a 56-6 lead.
Dinwiddie scored twice in the final eight minutes of the game, the first on a seven-yard run by Prothro with 6:04 left in the game. Quarterback Jacob Bain ran for the two-point conversion to make the score 56-14.
A 42-yard run by Prothro with 2:33 left in the game accounted for the 56-20 final score.

Clarence O. Childress

Clarence O. Childress, 59, of Jersey City, NJ, died September 2 at Greenville Hospital in Jersey City.
Mr. Childress was born in Halifax County on March 24, 1943, the son of Emily Childress and Tom Childress Sr.
Survivors include his wife, Nannie Childress of Jersey City; one daughter, Carol Kearney of Jersey City; one son, Clarence Childress of Jersey City; four grandchildren; five sisters, Louise Bailey of Jersey City, Martha Ferrell and Annie Wade, both of Englewood, NJ, Ruby Wesson of Lawrenceville and Ruth Crite of Brown Summit, NC; three brothers, Robert Childress Sr. of Halifax, Leonard Childress of Jersey City and Ernest Childress of Grove City, PA.
Funeral services for Mr. Childress were held September 6 at 2 p.m. at Mt. Pleasant CME Church, Halifax, with the Rev. Evon Bush and Sandra Young officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Virginia Lloyd Waldie

Virginia Lloyd Waldie, 67, of Woodcrest Apartments, South Boston, died September 6 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mrs. Waldie was born in Halifax County on March 6, 1935, the daughter of William Archer Lloyd and Ada Nola Wilkins Lloyd. She was a member of Providence Presbyterian Church.
Survivors include two daughters, Sandra W. and Butch Glass of Halifax and Karen W. and Cecil Puryear of Clarksville; one son, Russell Grant and Tiny Waldie of Scottsburg; one granddaughter, Elizabeth Ann Bowman of Goochland; five step-grandchildren, Taj Jager, Kimberly Hall, Joshua Hall, Rebecca Hall and Gloria Hall; one great-granddaughter, Chelsea Celeste Bowman; three sisters, Helen Lloyd of Halifax, Dallas Rice of FL, and Florence Wilmoth of Richmond; three brothers, Lacy Lloyd of Richmond, Saford Lloyd of Arlington and Wayne Lloyd of Powhatan. She was preceded in death by one son, Danny Vaden Waldie; two grandsons, William and David Lee Moneymaker; four brothers, and one sister.
Graveside services for Mrs. Waldie will be held today, September 9, at Providence Presbyterian Church Cemetery at 2 p.m. with the Rev. Jeff Jones officiating.

Melvin Jackson Featherston

Halifax County native Melvin Jackson "Dennis" Featherston of Hampton died Friday at Sentara-Hampton General Hospital in Hampton.
Mr. Featherston was 48.
He was born March 27, 1954, a son of the late Ms. Alice Featherston and was a member of the Dan River Bethel Baptist Church.
Mr. Featherston is survived by two sons, Wesley Featherston of Danville and Ryan Montaque of Norfolk, four daughters, Mrs. Cynthia Johnson and Ms. Wanda Featherston, both of Chesapeake, Ms. Terry Featherston of Hampton and Miss Veronica Montaque of Norfolk. Twelve grandchildren survive.
Also surviving are three sisters, Mrs. Catherine Medley of Alton, Mrs. Carolyn Jones of Crystal Hill and Ms. Jean Ellen Featherston of South Boston, one half-sister, Mrs. Brenda Moore of Hampton, and three brothers, George Thomas Featherston of Louisiana, Henry Featherston of Alton and Wayne Anthony Featherston of South Boston.
Other survivors include three aunts, Mrs. Frances Yancey, Mrs. Martha Featherston and Mrs. Dorothy Featherston, all of Alton, one uncle, William Henry Yancey of Alton, Mrs. Susie Oliver of South Boston, his god-mother, two brothers-in-law, Joe Medley and Curtis Jones, two sisters-in-law, Mrs. Penny Featherston and Mrs. Carolyn Featherston, and a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.
Funeral services for Mr. Featherston will be held Tuesday at 2 p.m. with services at the St. Mark Baptist Church, with the Rev. Bruce Featherston officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family is receiving friends at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Medley of 4008 Turbeville Road in Alton.