Closing arguments to begin in case of ex-Ohio deputy accused of killing Black man
The jury in the murder trial of a former Franklin County Sheriff's deputy for the December 2020 shooting death of a Black man will soon begin deliberating.
Closing arguments will begin Wednesday morning in the trial of Jason Meade, who is facing two counts of murder and one count of reckless homicide in connection with the Dec. 4, 2020, shooting death of 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr.
The case, which began with opening statements on Jan. 31, will then be turned over to the jury of eight women and four men.
How do I watch the Jason Meade trial?
Franklin County Common Pleas Court is equipped with cameras in each courtroom that provide the ability to live stream proceedings.
The stream for Judge David Young's courtroom can be found here.
The judge controls the live stream from the bench, and the feed is only on when court is in session. The judge can also control whether some evidence, such as photos that may be graphic or sensitive, are shown to the public and streamed.
How long will the jury deliberate?
It is impossible to predict how long a jury may deliberate in a case. Deliberations can take minutes, hours or days.
What happens when there's a verdict in the case?
If the jury reaches a verdict, Young will read it in open court.
Should the jurors not reach a unanimous decision, Young could give them what is known as a Howard charge, essentially jury instructions asking them to continue deliberating in hopes of reaching a verdict.
If, after a Howard charge, the jury still cannot reach a verdict, Young would have to declare a mistrial. At that point, prosecutors would have to determine whether to retry Meade or dismiss the case.
What has each side argued during the trial?
Special prosecutors Tim Merkle, Gary Shroyer and Montgomery County Assistant Prosecutor Josh Shaw called more than a dozen witnesses, including members of Goodson's family, to testify in their efforts to prove Meade is guilty of the charges filed against him.
The evidence presented by prosecutors included testimony about Goodson being shot six times, five of which struck him in the back, as well as testimony that Goodson was wearing earbuds playing music at the time he was shot.
Related coverage: Jason Meade trial delayed until Tuesday, few witnesses left in Casey Goodson shooting case
The judge also allowed prosecutors to call a last-minute witness who testified Tuesday after not coming forward until the trial was underway.
Christopher Corne, a local HVAC technician, testified that he saw Goodson drive by him on Ferris Road and did not see a gun in Goodson's hand. Corne did not see the shooting or hear gunshots, he testified.
Meade's defense attorneys, Mark Collins, Kaitlyn Stephens and Steven Nolder, called six witnesses, including Meade himself, to testify.
Meade testified that he saw Goodson waving a gun inside his vehicle while turning from Karl Road onto Ferris Road. Meade turned around and followed Goodson, who did not heed verbal commands to show his hands and drop the gun, the former deputy testified.
Each side called an expert on use of force to testify for the jury.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jason Meade trial: Closing arguments begin in case of ex-Ohio deputy
