Ex-deputy Jason Meade's murder trial is starting. Here's what to know about 2020 shooting

There is no video of former Franklin County Sheriff's SWAT deputy Michael Jason Meade fatally shooting Casey Goodson Jr. in December 2020 — unlike many other shootings involving law enforcement officers in recent years.

County deputies were not equipped with body-worn cameras at the time, so a Franklin County Common Pleas Court jury will have to decide whether Meade should be convicted of murder and other charges.

A special pool of jurors will come Thursday to the county courthouse in Columbus to fill out questionnaires ahead of jury selection, which will begin Monday. Opening statements could possibly begin Tuesday. Those ultimately selected for the jury will have to consider these questions at trial:

Did Goodson point his gun at Meade, as the deputy contends, as he was outside his grandmother's house in Columbus' Northland? Or was he holding Subway sandwiches and opening a side door into the home's kitchen? Was Goodson wearing wireless earbuds at the time and unable to hear Meade's verbal commands?

Ultimately, though, they will have to decide whether Meade was justified in fatally shooting Goodson six times, once in the side and five times in the back.

After more than three years of delays, Meade, 45, will face trial next week on murder and reckless homicide charges for shooting the 23-year-old Goodson on Dec. 4, 2020.

Here's a refresher on everything we know — and don't know — about the case.

What led Jason Meade to shoot Casey Goodson Jr.?

The shooting happened shortly after noon on Dec. 4, 2020.

Meade, a SWAT Deputy, was working as part of a U.S. Marshal's fugitive apprehension task force that day. The team had been unsuccessful in their search looking for a fugitive with no connection to Goodson, and the officers were dispersing in separate vehicles.

Through his attorneys, Meade has alleged that Goodson drove by while waving a handgun around, pointing it at another driver and Meade’s unmarked vehicle.

Meade followed Goodson a short distance to Goodson's grandmother's house on the 3900 block of Estates Place, where Goodson got out.

According to his attorneys, Meade got out and told Goodson to show his hands and drop his gun, commands that were allegedly heard by at least one witness who could not see what was happening. Meade's attorneys allege Goodson then pointed his weapon at Meade, who opened fire.

Goodson's family has said Goodson was legally licensed to conceal carry a handgun but was holding Subway sandwiches and keys in his hands — not a gun — while unlocking a door. They’ve also said Goodson was listening to music on wireless earbuds when he was shot and would not have been able to hear Meade’s commands. A pair of bloody earbuds were later turned over to authorities.

What could come up at trial: Where was Goodson's gun found at the shooting scene?

Several questions remain to be answered at trial, like whether Goodson was holding sandwiches or a gun.

According to Columbus police who investigated the case, Goodson's firearm was found at the scene, but the exact location has not been disclosed publicly.

There are no living eyewitnesses to the shooting besides Meade.

Columbus police officer Ryan Rosser, who was on the task force with Meade, has previously testified he heard Meade, whom he estimated was 20 yards closer to Goodson, say, “Show me your hands.”  But Rosser said he did not witness the shooting or see anything in Goodson’s hands.

Listen: Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Meade gives religious sermon in 2018

Meade’s defense team has sought to prevent the prosecution from bringing up certain evidence at trial, including:

• Testimony that Goodson was wearing wireless earbuds when he was shot.

• An audio recording of Meade, speaking at a Baptist convention in 2018 about his philosophy on using force, during which he justified throwing the first punch.

• Reports on other times Meade used force as a deputy over the years.

Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge David Young ruled earlier this month that prosecuting attorneys can bring up Meade's sermon while cross-examining Meade.

At the same time, Young reserved ruling on the earbuds, writing in his decision that objections should be made during the trial.

Young also decided the motion was moot about prior uses of force because prosecutors indicated they won’t bring it up in their main case. That doesn’t mean it won’t come up when Meade testifies as expected in his own defense, and Meade’s attorneys could object then.

Who is Jason Meade? Who are the other major figures?

Meade, who lives in Mechanicsburg in Champaign County, was a deputy for 17 years and was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting. He took disability retirement in July 2021 before he was indicted. A Franklin County grand jury indicted him in December 2021, and he posted bond within a week.

Young, a Franklin County judge for more than a decade, is presiding over Meade’s trial. This is Young’s second officer murder trial in less than a year. In April, Young presided over ex-Columbus vice officer Andrew Mitchell’s second jury trial, which resulted in a not guilty verdict.

Familiar faces returning from that trial include two members of Meade’s legal team: Mark Collins and his partner, Kaitlyn Stephens. Collins has been the go-to attorney for Columbus-area cops facing criminal charges for decades.

In an exclusive interview with The Dispatch last year, the duo explained that there is a lot of complicated case law around the standards officers are held to and they’re specialists in it.

Another Columbus-based attorney, Steven Nolder, is the third member of Meade’s legal team.

They will face a trio of special prosecuting attorneys: Tim Merkle and Gary Shroyer, both former senior assistant Franklin County prosecutors, and Montgomery County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Josh Shaw.

Because Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack’s office represents the county Sheriff’s Office in legal matters, Tyack appointed outside prosecuting attorneys to Meade’s case.

Tyack also appointed Merkle and Shroyer to handle the prosecution of Columbus K-9 officer Ricky Anderson on murder and reckless homicide charges in connection with the fatal shooting on Aug. 22, 2022, of Donovan Lewis inside his Hilltop apartment.

The bigger picture and selecting a jury

Goodson's death was the first of two fatal shootings in December 2020 of Black men by white law enforcement officers in Columbus. Just weeks later, on Dec. 22, 2020, then-Columbus police officer Adam Coy shot Andre Hill as the unarmed Hill exited a garage holding an illuminated cellphone in his left hand and a set of car keys in his right hand by his pocket.

Coy has contended he thought the keys were a gun. The incident was captured on the body cameras of Coy and another officer at the scene, but only because of a playback capture function on the cameras at the time. There was no audio.

These back-to-back shootings rekindled outrage in Columbus over law enforcement shootings of Blacks, coming after racial and social justice nationally over high-profile killings like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

To find an impartial jury, the attorneys are bringing in this jury pool to answer a specially designed questionnaire.

In other officer trials, Collins and Stephens have asked prospective jurors questions like ‘What do you think of the Blue Lives Matter movement?’ and ‘What do you think about what happened to George Floyd?’

Collins previously told The Dispatch that they will be trying to find out who can set aside their feelings about other officer killings and objectively evaluate the case in front of them.

jlaird@dispatch.com

@LairdWrites

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ex-deputy Jason Meade facing murder trial for 2020 fatal shooting