Jerry Mitchell

The Clarion-Ledger

An attorney for serial killer suspect Felix Vail told a three-judge panel for the Louisiana Court of Appeal on Wednesday that two other women's disappearances should be barred from evidence.

Waving his hands, Vail's lawyer, Ben Cormier of Lake Charles, La., told judges that the lower court's ruling is improper because it unfairly shifts the burden to Vail.

Assistant District Attorney Carla Sigler responded that it does not, explaining that the doctrine of chances applies in this case because the two women disappeared under similar circumstances and were last known to be in Vail's presence.

In March, Judge Robert Wyatt of Lake Charles ruled that evidence regarding the disappearances would be permitted, prompting the appeal of Vail's lawyer.

No matter which way the appeals court rules, the case is expected to be appealed next to the Louisiana Supreme Court.

The 74-year-old Vail was noticeably absent from Wednesday's session. At a March hearing, he complained loudly of the "hypocrisy" of the court system.

The Mississippi native is charged with the murder of Mary Horton Vail, whose 1962 death in Lake Charles, La., was originally ruled an accidental drowning.

He is the last known person to be with her and two other women: his common-law wife, Sharon Hensley, who disappeared in 1973; and his wife, Annette, who disappeared in 1984.

His arrest marks what experts say is the oldest serial killer suspect case in U.S. history.

Vail has insisted he is innocent, blaming his arrest on the press, politics, powerful people, money and the women's families.

Authorities reopened the case after The Clarion-Ledger published its 2012 story "Gone," in which a pathologist pointed to a bruise on the back of Mary Vail's head and a scarf 4 inches in her mouth as proof of homicide.

The coroner in Lake Charles, who is also a forensic pathologist, has since ruled her death a homicide. The murder trial is expected to take place some time next year.

After Wednesday's hearing, her brother, Will Horton, said, "It sure takes a long time to get justice."