BY MICHAELA YIELDING FOR THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — Two men accused of murder in October 2023 are set to go to trial on Feb. 3 following a Jan. 15 plea hearing at which both pled not guilty.Francis Harland Hamblin, 42, and Matthew James Dillon, 41, will face a criminal jury in the murder of Reggie Cornelius Stokes, 28.According to authorities, Stokes was last seen alive by family on Sept. 22, 2023, and had been reported missing. The two co-defendants were charged with the murder on Oct. 11, 2023, following the discovery of Stokes’ remains in a wooded area of the 100 block of Bay Court by Opelika Police, assisted by a cadaver dog search team.Following their arrest, the two men were held without bond at the Lee County Justice Center. Hamblin has remained in jail since his arrest. Lee County District Judge Steven Speakman granted a $50,000 reduction to Dillon’s previously set $150,000 bond on April 4, 2024, and he has been on monitored house arrest.Throughout his…..