James Nathaniel Watts
James Nathaniel Watts

Cairo, Ill. – The man accused of killing two women during a bank robbery will stand trial in January.

30-year-old James Nathaniel Watts has pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted armed bank robbery resulting in death and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He’s accused of stabbing and killing Anita Joe Grace and Nita Jo Smith at the First National Bank in Cairo on May 15.

Watts is also accused of injuring a 23-year-old woman in the attack. The January 12 trial date was announced during a court appearance yesterday.