Ex-deputy Jason Meade to be retried for murder in death of Casey Goodson Jr.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Former deputy Jason Meade will be tried a second time for the death of Casey Goodson Jr., prosecutors announced Thursday afternoon.
Nearly a week after a deadlocked jury forced a mistrial in the murder case against Meade, special prosecutors assigned to the case announced they will seek a new trial date for Meade. Meade faces two counts of murder and one count of reckless homicide for killing Goodson at the door of his grandmother’s house in 2020.
“The Special Prosecutors have concluded that is in the best interest of all involved and the community that they move forward with a second trial on the indictment,” the statement from Gary Shroyer, Tim Merkle and Montgomery County Prosecutor Joshua Shaw read.
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The jury returned deadlocked last Friday after nearly three full days of deliberations, conversations that happened in fits and starts after three jurors were replaced by alternates.
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.
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Meade’s case was assigned to outside counsel because the Franklin County prosecutor’s office represents the sheriff’s office in court.
The decision to retry Meade came after a chorus of calls from community organizations — and some candidates for Franklin County prosecutor — to seek a new trial. Activist groups, including Justice, Unity, and Social Transformation, have held several rallies since the mistrial to demand a second prosecution.
In a statement, Meade’s attorneys said said that “political pressure to move forward with this case” jeopardizes Meade’s right to a fair trial, citing public statements by Columbus elected officials calling for re-prosecution.
“The events of December 4, 2020 were tragic, there is no doubt about that,” Mark Collins, Kailtyn Stephens and Steve Nolder said in their statement. “What is equally tragic is for our elected officials to desert the jobs for which they were elected and exert political pressure to retry Jason Meade.”
Sean Walton, the Goodson family’s civil attorney, said in a statement that the Goodson family appreciated the special prosecutors “and their dedication to ensuring a jury of Franklin County residents reviews the facts and evidence of this tragic killing.”
“We all believe in law and order, and we believe that the justice system has the power to provide redress for victims and to hold wrongdoers accountable,” Walton said. “We look forward to the next trial and that trial date cannot come soon enough. “
A status conference is scheduled for early June.
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