The East Tennessee man charged in the death of Nashville pinup model Nikki Burgess was in court for a motions hearing on Thursday.
Caleb Cannon has been in jail since October 2015. The judge has not yet set a trial date.
Cannon’s cellmate took the stand and told the courtroom how Cannon allegedly killed Burgess and covered up her murder.
Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom to protect the inmate’s identity. He said one night he asked Cannon if he killed Burgess.
The inmate said Cannon told him he got into a fight with Burgess in her Hermitage home about child custody. He said Cannon told him he punched Burgess several times while wearing brass knuckles, strangled her with a cord and hid her body in the bathroom.
Cannon’s cellmate said he then told him that he waited until it was late and stuffed her body in his trunk. The inmate said Cannon then drove to a farm in Knoxville where he used to work and put Burgess’ body in a grinder.
The inmate also testified that Cannon told him he did not think he would be convicted because investigators do not have Burgess’ body.
Police said they recovered brass knuckles and a cord at Burgess’ home. Cadaver dogs also detected something in Burgess’ bathroom and Cannon’s trunk.
Earlier this year, Cannon's defense attorney questioned the validity of cadaver dogs that sniffed around the trunk of Cannon's car. Investigators believe the K-9s found traces of human decomposition.
There are question inmate, a convicted felon, will stand as a credible witness during trial.
Burgess was last heard from on the afternoon of May 23, 2014. A few days later, Burgess' friend alerted police that she was missing.
Her car and purse was found at her home in Hermitage. A friend told police that when she last spoke to Burgess, she was with Cannon. She believed the two had a fight.
A Metro Nashville police investigation shows Cannon, who had visitation privileges with the couple's then 10-year-old son, picked him up from his Nashville school on May 23, 2014. Cannon then drove his son to Anderson County that evening.
The following June, the Anderson County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at Cannon's home in Andersonville. They towed his car in to be examined, and two cadaver dogs sniffed human remains in the trunk.
The search warrants for Cannon's home show that officers were looking for any evidence that could tie Cannon to Burgess' disappearance. Inside, they found a revolver, bullets, a knife, and dozens of other items. They also looked for a DNA sample.
Burgess' body has never been found.
