The criminal case against 16 and Pregnant Season 1 star Whitney Purvis is moving forward, with the State of Georgia indicating that it is nearly ready to put the MTV alum on trial.

As The Ashley previously told you, Whitney— who gave birth to son Weston Jr. during the very first season of the show in 2009— is currently facing a whopping seven felony charges, including a charge of aggravated involuntary manslaughter. The charges stem from the 2025 death of her friend, John Mark Harris, whom prosecutors say Whitney sold a street drug containing fentanyl to that resulted in his death. In February, Whitney pleaded not guilty to all the charges against her.

Since then, it appears that the State of Georgia has been building its case against Whitney. The Ashley can exclusively reveal that a status hearing has been set for August 6 for the case, with a calendar call for the upcoming jury trial planned for August 26.

(A “calendar call” for a jury trial in Georgia is a required pre-trial hearing where both attorneys will reveal if they are ready to go to trial, need a continuance, or if they have reached a plea agreement.) 

In addition to the aggravated involuntary manslaughter charge, Whitney is also facing four felony charges of “Illegal Use of a Communication Facility” (all with different offense dates, which indicates that Whitney allegedly committed that crime multiple times). She is also being charged with “Sale of Fentanyl” and “Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute,” which are both felony-level charges.

(Whitney has been accused of distributing Tranq— a drug that contains a combination of fentanyl and xylazine— to her friend John Mark Harris, who died in February 2025 after taking the drug. It is the alleged sale on February 16 that prosecutors say caused John Mark Harris’ death on February 17.)

In March, both sides sent subpoenas to witnesses they plan to call at Whitney’s trial, including city and county police officers, toxicologists and others who handled the victim and incident. The State also notified Whitney and her public defender that they plan to call experts in forensic chemistry, pathology and toxicology.

In addition, the prosecutors have informed Whit and her legal team that they intend to introduce “residual hearsay” evidence at trial, in the form of statements made by John Mark Harris to Whitney on various dates before he died, through the testimony of other people and cell phone records. (Obviously, John Mark Harris is deceased and cannot be cross-examined on these statements so that’s why it must be noted if one side wants to use “residual hearsay” as evidence.) 

The State of Georgia also plans to use a statement Whitney made to authorities during an interview at the police station on July 7, 2025. It appears that this statement may have been some sort of confession and, because of this, a Jackson-Denno hearing is being requested.

(This is a court proceeding used to determine whether a defendant’s confession or statement to law enforcement was given voluntarily, and was not made because the defendant was coerced, threatened or promised anything for confessing. Once a judge determines that a statement was made voluntarily, it can be used as evidence at the trial.) 

The General Bill of Indictment— filed on January 9, 2026 and obtained by The Ashley— claims that on or around January 23, 2025, Whitney used her cellphone to introduce “the idea of a controlled substance to John Mark Harris, discussing its potential effects and pricing, discussing delivery and payment methods, and describing how to ingest said substance by using aluminum foil.”

One week later, the Bill of Indictment claims that Whitney again used her cellphone to discuss selling the substance to him again. Whitney is also accused of “sending a picture verifying delivery of said substance to the residence of John Mark Harris…”

On February 3, 2025, Whitney again allegedly used her cell phone to discuss another sale of the substance and to confirm “she is on the way to deliver said substance to the residence of John Mark Harris.” She is accused of doing similar sales to him on February 14 and February 16 as well. It is the alleged sale on February 16 that prosecutors say caused John Mark Harris’ death on February 17. 

In June, the State gave notice of everything it plans to introduce as evidence at Whitney’s trial, including John Mark Harris’ online obituary, which Whitney left a comment on (before she was arrested).

The prosecutors also plan to introduce videos, John Mark Harris’ autopsy report and more.

The state of Georgia has been cracking down on fentanyl-related crimes since the passing of Senate Bill 465, aka “Austin’s Law,” in 2024. The bill created a new offense category —felony aggravated involuntary manslaughter— under which drug dealers and distributors can be prosecuted for their role in a person’s death if they are determined to have helped manufacture or sell the deadly fentanyl drug. 

Whitney has been free on bond since last year. She is the mother of three; however, her eldest child Weston Jr., passed away last year at the age of 16. 

RELATED STORY: Former “16 & Pregnant” Star Whitney Purvis Posts Tribute to Late Son Weston Jr. on What Would’ve Been His 17th Birthday

(Photos: Floyd County Sheriff’s Office; Facebook; MTV)