A Scot accused of his killing his mother and stepfather in the US has had a date set for his murder trial.

Derek Connell, 29, who was born in Shawlands, Glasgow, was arrested on April 30 after the bodies of Kim and Christopher Higginbotham were discovered by police.

His trial is set to begin on February 27.

Officers in Bakersfield, California, found the couple shot dead in their home and arrested Connell as he was seen leaving the property.

Mrs Higginbotham, originally from Glasgow, was a 48-year-old teacher who worked in Bakersfield for around 15 years.

Connell appeared for at Kern County Superior Court last week charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

His lawyer Paul Cadman tried to have the charges reduced to voluntary manslaughter or seconddegree murder but this was rejected by prosecutors.

Connell will stand trial on the most serious charges of first-degree murder.

His legal team claims he suffered a number of mental and medical conditions while serving in the US army in Iraq, saying he killed the pair because of post-traumatic stress disorder. The pleas were rejected.

If convicted he could face the death penalty. He was not given bail and has been remanded in custody.

Local news station ABC 23 has reported court documents claim Connell took pictures on mobile phone of the dead couple before sending them on to a relative.

A search warrant reportedly claims Connell sent the footage on mobile phone app Facetime to an aunt who does not live in the US. The aunt said the bodies were in pools of blood.

Police are understood to have found a haul of 14 guns, including assault rifles, in the property, as well as bleach in Connell's car.