Homicide trial begins for Pueblo man accused in 2021 fatal shooting
A jury trial began Tuesday for a man accused of fatally shooting a new father in the chest after an alleged confrontation inside of a Pueblo home in May 2021.
Kevin Woodard, 29, is charged with first-degree murder after police claim he shot and killed 39-year-old Jason Carroll.
Pueblo police were called to the 1000 block of Berkley Avenue at 2:47 a.m. on May 2, 2021, on a report of a shooting. At the scene, they discovered Caroll with a gunshot wound to the chest. Emergency responders rendered medical aid, but Carroll died from his injuries.
The day before the alleged murder, Carroll had left his house after getting into a fight with his girlfriend and mother of his child, Monica Paradise, about the presence of several people in their home, including Woodard, Paradise said during a preliminary hearing last year.
Paradise testified during the hearing that about 2 a.m. the following morning, Carroll came home and became irritated because Woodard and another person were still there, she said.
The fight escalated when Caroll realized his clothes were missing from the bedroom, which Paradise said she'd thrown in the trash earlier in the day after fighting with Caroll.
Eventually, she said Caroll placed himself in front of the door of the residence and said he would not allow anyone to leave until his belongings were returned to him.
At that point, Paradise claimed Woodard stood up and positioned himself as if he was going to fight, though she said she didn't hear Carroll or Woodard exchange any words.
When Paradise moved to stop the two men from fighting, she said she got only halfway between the bedroom door and the couch where Woodard was standing when she saw a glint of steel as Woodard raised both arms to a 90-degree angle and shot Carroll.
Two other witnesses reportedly told investigators they'd come to the house with Carroll and were there at the time of the shooting, according to a Pueblo Police Department arrest affidavit.
Both of those witnesses said there had been a verbal confrontation between Carroll and Woodard, that Woodard had shot Carroll, and that Carroll had not made any threats or attacked Woodard.
After the shooting, Woodard fled the scene with another individual. He was arrested the following evening in Arapahoe County for allegedly shooting Carroll, as well as an unrelated non-lethal shooting in Fremont County the morning of May 3.
A search warrant on Woodard's vehicle later uncovered a black, semi-automatic Ruger 9mm handgun. Shell casings that matched the gun's caliber were found on the scene, CSI Detective John Guerrero told the court during last year's preliminary hearing, and a 9mm bullet was found in the door behind where Carroll was standing when he was shot.
Jury selection began Tuesday for the trial, which will be heard in the court of Judge Thomas Flesher. The trial is scheduled for two weeks, according to court records.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.
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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Homicide trial underway for Pueblo man accused in 2021 shooting
