Death of Casey Goodson Jr.: Deadlocked jury ends Jason Meade murder case in mistrial

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Franklin County judge declared a mistrial Friday in the murder case against an ex-deputy who fatally shot a Black man at the door of his grandmother’s house in 2020.

The jury returned deadlocked after nearly three full days of deliberations, conversations that happened in fits and starts after three jurors were replaced by alternates. Meade, a former Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy, killed Casey Goodson Jr. after claiming Goodson pointed a gun at him twice. Meade faced two counts of murder and one count of reckless homicide.

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More than two hours after Judge David Young retracted one mistrial order, the jury informed him via written note that they could not reach a unanimous agreement on “any of the three charges.” At 1:45 p.m., Young read the jurors a Howard charge — an instruction to work to come to a decision, if possible.

Minutes later, the jury’s question light came on again. Within 15 minutes, Young called the visibly exhausted jury, Goodson’s family and Meade’s family into the courtroom to declare a mistrial, again.

The jury wasn’t tasked with determining whether or not Meade killed Goodson; rather, they were asked to decide whether he was justified in shooting Goodson because he genuinely feared for his life.

“We place jurors in impossible situations because they have to be clinicians, they can’t use empathy and sympathy and that type of stuff,” defense attorney Mark Collins told reporters after the mistrial. “But, you know, the reality is they did the best that they could and that’s so justice was served today.”

The team of special prosecutors — selected because the Franklin County prosecutor’s office represents the sheriff’s office in court — left without giving immediate comment. Later, special prosecutor Tim Merkle said in a statement that his team “will assess our options” as to whether to retry Meade.

“Needless to say we are disappointed that the jury did not reach a verdict,” Merkle said. “We are especially saddened for the Goodson family who have responded so admirably to the tragic death of Casey and their patience with the system as we strive for accountability and justice. We are mindful of the frustration today’s lack of a final verdict has caused to them and the community as a whole.”

The jury restarted deliberations late Thursday afternoon after another juror was dismissed. On Friday morning, the judge informed the jury they must start again, with the final alternate replacing a juror. When jurors came back later in the morning with a question about whether they could return a verdict on one charge but be hung on another, Young originally declared a mistrial but later reconsidered after conferring with attorneys from both sides.

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“You are the hardest-working jury I’ve ever had,” Young said before his first mistrial order.

Throughout the trial, Meade asserted he feared for his life on Dec. 4, 2020, when he shot Goodson six times in the back. Meade was coming off an assignment with the U.S. Marshals Service and claimed to see Goodson waving a gun while driving. After pursuing Goodson to his grandmother’s house on Estates Place in north Columbus, Meade said Goodson was standing in the doorway of the house when he pointed his gun back at Meade.

The state, meanwhile, had argued that the shooting was unjustified, citing a lack of corroboration that Goodson pointed his gun, either in his car or at his door, as well as the fact that Goodson was wearing AirPods at the time of the shooting. Goodson was shot six times, five of which hit his back.

The Goodson family’s wrongful death lawsuit against the county and Meade remains ongoing. Goodson family civil attorney Sean Walton told reporters that Goodson’s mother, Tamala Payne, asked him this week when the family would get a break.

“They still don’t get a break, because they have to keep fighting,” Walton said. “It’s a shame that this has taken place, but what gives me hope is this has all been a very public trial.”

What happened during the trial?

Over two weeks of trial, jurors heard from more than 20 witnesses, including members of the Goodson family who were in the house during the shooting, the coroner who performed Goodson’s autopsy, an expert use-of-force witness and a law professor who researches policing in the U.S.

Attorneys presented dozens of exhibits, ranging from scene photos to body camera footage to the Subway receipt from Goodson’s sandwich order. At length, the prosecution and defense wove physical evidence with testimony to present their theories of the case to the jury.

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To the prosecution, Meade behaved, at a minimum, recklessly when he shot Goodson six times with his automatic rifle. Special prosecutors Merkle and Gary Shroyer urged the jury to closely evaluate Meade’s claims with the physical evidence they were shown. From the AirPods playing music in Goodson’s ears to the sandwich bag in his hand to the bullet holes through the metal storm door, Goodson could not have been a threat to Meade, the prosecution argued.

The safety was engaged on Goodson’s gun that was found in the kitchen near where he was shot. With just a cloth holster, the lead detective on the case testified that he would expect the gun to fall out if Goodson ran – or when he fell from being shot.

During cross-examination of Meade and in closing arguments, the prosecution honed in on inconsistencies in Meade’s written statement and testimony. Meade originally stated that he saw the gun when Goodson stopped at the intersection before turning, but security footage from a nearby church showed Goodson made a continuous left turn. Meade also claimed Goodson ran after he saw Meade, but the officer who followed Meade testified that Goodson walked toward the door of the house.

In closing, the prosecution hearkened back to what their expert policing practice witness, Seth Stoughton, testified on Tuesday: Meade’s actions did not align with generally accepted practices and principles of policing. He didn’t properly communicate with his fellow officers or give them the opportunity to arm themselves before he went after Goodson, Shroyer emphasized. Meade also failed to take cover, either behind his truck or a tree in the yard, to protect himself against the threat he said he observed.

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“Just because Mr. Meade says, ‘I had to do this,’ you don’t have to accept that,” Merkle said. “Not if, looking at all the evidence, it doesn’t make sense.”

To the defense, the case is simple: Meade feared for his life because Goodson pointed his gun at him while in the threshold of the house. During both opening statements and closing arguments, defense attorneys urged the jury to reject the state’s arguments, emphasizing multiple times that prosecutors “started with a premise and worked backwards.”

Meade testified in his own defense for nearly four hours last week, describing in detail the moments before he shot Goodson. While waiting at a red light, Meade said he saw Goodson brandish a gun in a “pumping” fashion and point it at another driver before pointing it at Meade.

He said Goodson pointed the gun at him again after ignoring commands to drop the weapon. In the doorway of his grandmother’s house, Goodson allegedly pointed the gun with his back still turned to Meade.

The jury also heard from a former law enforcement officer and use-of-force expert who testified that he believed Meade had a “lawful objective” in using deadly force against Goodson. Several of the officers who took the stand testified that a person with a gun is still a threat, even if their back is turned.

Other officers who have used cloth holsters disputed the prosecution’s assertion that Goodson’s gun would have fallen out of his holster upon being shot.

“Corroboration is not a coincidence,” Collins told jurors during closing arguments, pointing to the parts of Meade’s testimony that were supported by evidence, whether it be from footage or others’ testimony. He paused after making the U-turn to tell his fellow officer that he saw someone with a gun, and a neighbor who drove past Goodson’s house at the time testified that she heard someone shout commands to drop the gun.

Collins spent a significant amount of time discrediting the surprise witness who came forward late last week, highlighting inconsistencies among his interviews and testimony and narrowing in on the fact that he deleted his Facebook after being interviewed by the FBI.

“Are you going to rely upon the word of Christopher Corne for a surgery for a child or care for an elderly parent? Because that’s proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” Collins said. “Is that the evidence you’re going to rely on?

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