Meade trial witness says he didn't see gun in Casey Goodson's hands, refuting testimony

Special prosecutors called a surprise witness Tuesday who came forward last week via social media after watching news coverage of the murder trial of former Franklin County Sheriff's deputy Jason Meade.

Christopher Corne, an HVAC technician, testified that he saw Casey Goodson Jr. drive by seemingly dancing to music in his car with nothing in his hands. His testimony countered earlier testimony from Meade, who said he saw Goodson brandish a gun in the car.

Corne testified in Franklin County Common Pleas Court that he did not see the fatal shooting but said he was driving in his work van directly behind Meade on Dec. 4, 2020. Corne testified that he told the FBI in an interview last week he noticed the car because it was driving erratically, and he was 99% certain he did not see a gun in Goodson’s hands — as Meade has said.

Steve Nolder, a defense attorney for Meade, pointed out on cross-examination that Corne also told the FBI he was 99% certain he took Estates Place out of the neighborhood, but video from a nearby surveillance camera disproved that.

Meade has been on trial for three weeks on charges of murder and reckless homicide for fatally shooting 23-year-old Goodson six times at the side door to his North Linden residence after Meade alleges Goodson pointed a gun at him for a second time.

Read our live coverage from today: Final witness testifies in ex-deputy Jason Meade's murder trial, case heads to jury soon

Corne's testimony came after an extended break in the trial likely prompted by the prosecution subpoenaing Corne on Thursday. The trial never resumed Thursday, and Judge David Young sent jurors home that afternoon until Tuesday morning.

Corne first posted about the shooting on Facebook on Dec. 18, 2020, he testified, in an attempt to "try to let somebody know I was there and I might have seen some of it."

In recent weeks, Corne commented on news accounts streaming the trial and on the Facebook page of Goodson's mother, Tamala Payne, before deleting those comments, he said.

Corne said he didn't come forward sooner because he had second thoughts about getting involved and being in the public eye.

Corne said he first messaged Payne and Sean Walton, a civil attorney representing Payne in a civil lawsuit against Meade and others, "a little over a week ago."

He said he heard back from Tim Merkle, one of the special prosecutors, last Wednesday. The FBI interviewed Corne on Thursday, and Meade's defense attorneys deposed Corne on Monday.

Nolder quesitoned Corne about inconsistencies among those three different interviews and his testimony. Corne acknowledged some of the details he gave changed.

On Tuesday, Corne said it appeared Goodson had an Afro. Nolder asked Corne about telling the FBI that he initially thought Goodson was female because he saw a ponytail.

According to other evidence presented at trial, Goodson had a do-rag on the day he was killed.

Corne also said he followed Meade, who he could tell was in a law enforcement vehicle, to see some action. But Corne took a bit longer to follow Meade to Estates Place, and testified he never heard any gunshots. He eventually left.

After he was subpoenaed last week and his name became public, Corne said he deleted his Facebook account because he received more than 100 friend requests.

Corne said he did not have an agenda and coming forward felt like the right thing to do.

"I had a last-minute decision," Corne said. "I felt like somebody needed to hear what I saw and had to say."

After his testimony, as Corne left the courthouse, The Dispatch asked him why he did not contact authorities for more than three years.

“I don’t know,” he said.

Prosecution calls professor who testified in Derek Chauvin trial

The last witness jurors heard from in the trial was University of South Carolina law professor Seth Stoughton. He was a police officer for about five years in Tallahassee and is currently the faculty director of the Excellence in Policing and Public Safety Program at the law school.

Stoughton, who was called as a prosecution witness, has testified as an expert in other law enforcment criminal cases across the country, including as an expert in the prosecution of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd Jr. in May 2020, which triggered nationwide racial justice protests and rioting, including in Columbus.

According to his online resume, Stoughton has also been retained as an expert in the prosecution of former Columbus police officer Adam Coy, who is charged in connection with the fatal Dec. 22, 2020, shooting of Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man, just weeks after Goodson was killed. Coy, who is undergoing cancer treatment, is currently scheduled to go to trial in October.

Kaitlyn Stephens, one of Meade's defense attorneys, emphasized that Stoughton did not review Ohio's laws before coming to testify Tuesday. Stoughton said he was there to testify as an expert on generally accepted police practices.

Stoughton laid out two scenarios in his testimony: If you believe Goodson pointed a gun at Meade, he said, then Meade was justified in using deadly force. If you don't believe Goodson pointed a gun and was instead walking into his house, Meade was not justified, he said.

Closing arguments in the Meade trial are expected Wednesday morning and then the case will head to the jury for deliberation.

jlaird@dispatch.com

@LairdWrites

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Meade trial witness says he didn't see gun in Casey Goodson Jr.'s hands