By GINNY COOPER MCCARLEY / Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA—The trial for a Harpersville woman charged with murder began Sept. 15.

Shonta Cohill, 37, was charged with fatally stabbing her boyfriend, 55-year-old Humphrey Keith of Harpersville, on July 18, 2012.

Police officers and rescue personnel responded to a call at a Harpersville residence and found Humphrey Keith unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Harpersville Police Chief David Latimer said following the incident in 2012.

“He had an obvious puncture wound in his chest, and several witnesses reported that they saw him be stabbed by his 35-year-old girlfriend,” Latimer said at the time of the incident.

Cohill was arrested on July 19, 2012 and was released from the Shelby County Jail after posting $75,000 bond on Aug. 1, 2012, according to court documents.

On Jan. 29, 2013, Cohill pleaded not guilty during her trial in front of Shelby County Circuit Judge Dan Reeves.

The trial is expected to last three days, according to Assistant Shelby County District Attorney Daniel McBrayer, the prosecutor in the case.