The first part of a preliminary hearing for a man accused of killing his wife by injecting her with prescription drugs was held Tuesday in Adams County Justice Court.

But since one of the state’s key witnesses is in a Jackson hospital following a recent car wreck, the hearing will have to be continued the second week in August in order for her testimony to be heard.

In late April, 22-year-old James &uot;Jamie&uot;&160;Pecanty of Monterey was arrested for the March 9 murder of Margaret Merrylon Baker Pecanty, 28. A coroner’s preliminary report had originally listed her cause of death as an accidental overdose.

Maj. John Manley of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, who investigated the alleged crime, testified during Tuesday’s hearing about statements the key witness gave to deputies. According to Manley, the woman said she; another man she had just met, Steve Pickering; and the Pecantys had been shooting drugs the night of Margaret Pecanty’s death.

Manley testified that the witness said Jamie Pecanty had been diluting and heating the drugs Seconal, oxycodone and Ritalin and injected them and himself with the drugs, which had been obtained by prescription earlier that day.

Blood tests by the State Crime Lab showed that Margaret Pecanty had all three drugs in her system, Manley testified.

And Manley said Jamie Pecanty called 911 at 6:11 a.m. March 9 to get help for his wife and told deputies she had injected herself. But Manley testified that Pecanty later admitted to deputies that he had injected his wife himself.

According to Manley’s testimony, the witness told deputies she and Jamie Pecanty found Margaret Pecanty dead at about 1 or 2 a.m. when they returned from having sex in a storage shed near the Pecantys’ apartment, and that they tried to revive her.

Judge Charlie Vess said Tuesday he does not know whether a charge of murder or manslaughter will be pursued against Jamie Pecanty. &uot;But there was definitely a disregard for human life,&uot; Vess said.

Vess said he does yet know whether he will change Jamie Pecanty’s bond. Jamie Pecanty is currently out of jail on a $25,000 bond, but Margaret Pecanty’s family wants his bond raised.

As of Tuesday, Vess also had not decided whether he would allow Jamie Pecanty to move to Arkansas to work since according to his attorney, Robert Clark, Pecanty cannot find work in this area. As it now stands, Pecanty is not allowed to move outside Adams County and Concordia Parish.

Clark pointed out that Pecanty had moved to live with his parents in Union County, Ark., prior to his arrest but returned to Natchez to turn himself in after being summoned by local officials.