Local

Kerrick Trial - Day 1 - July 20

By Mark Becker, wsoctv.com
By Mark Becker, wsoctv.com

What to know:

  • Randall "Wes" Kerrick is accused of shooting and killing unarmed Jonathan Ferrell in September 2013.
  • Jury selection could take weeks with 1,900 potential jurors. 1,019 are expected the first week; 880 are expected the next.
  • Dash cam video will be released during the trial.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jury selection for the trial of Randall "Wes" Kerrick began Monday.

4:41 p.m. update: Jury selection got underway in earnest Monday afternoon with 30 potential jurors each receiving a long questionnaire that will go a long way to deciding if they will serve.
          
It asks a range of standard questions -- are you presently employed -- to -- are you single, married, divorced?
                   
But the critical questions go right to the heart of the case: How much have you heard about Kerrick and the unarmed man he admits shooting 10 times, Jonathan Ferrell?
                   
And, do you have feelings, positive or negative, about police relations in Charlotte?
                    
And it asks jurors what they've seen and heard about what happened in Ferguson, Missouri, Baltimore, and elsewhere after police officers were involved in the deaths of unarmed African-American men.
          
"This trial arises in just a terrible environment nationally," said Tony Scheer, a defense attorney and former prosecutor.
                    
Scheer said what happens in jury selection could say how the community responds when they finally reach a verdict.

"A well-selected jury, hopefully, makes the whole community feel comfortable with the verdict, whatever the verdict is," Scheer said.


3:50 p.m. udpdate: The public attention the trial of Randall 'Wes' Kerrick continues to receive makes it one of the most closely watched trials in recent Charlotte memory. Legal experts say activity including demonstrations and media coverage will have an impact on proceedings and could make selecting a jury even tougher.

"One big impact it's going to have is on the jury questioning, because a lot of people have heard about this case. A lot of people will be familiar with Ferguson, Missouri, and North Charleston," Attorney James Wyatt said.
 
For potential jurors the stakes got higher Monday as the trial began. Jurors filled out a questionnaire prepared by prosecutors, defense attorneys and the judge in the case. The questionnaire asks questions about personal background, opinions about police and whether potential jurors have watched media coverage of police shootings across the country. 

On Monday, however, the judge ruled that information, normally available only to attorneys in the case, will be made available to media outlets too. Wyatt said it's an unusual move that could produce fallout.

"It certainly shouldn't cause the truthfulness of the information to change but it could impact how much people are willing to put into these questionnaires," he said. 

Wyatt expects long and grueling questioning of potential jurors and ongoing challenges for all sides. 

"When you have a high-profile case the media is a distraction, the protests are a distraction, jurors can be distracted. It raises a lot of complications," Wyatt said. 

Jury selection continues Tuesday.

2:35 p.m. update: Randall "Wes" Kerrick stands to acknowledge the first group of 30 potential jurors, Mark Becker reports from the courtroom.

The judge told the jury pool the trial could last a month or more.

https://twitter.com/MarkBeckerWSOC9/status/623199447095353345

 1:07 p.m. update:Officials with the Mecklenburg County courthouse released the following statement on Kerrick's arrival in court Monday morning. Kerrick was able to bypass traditional entrances to the courthouse.

"Kerrick's movements are a security matter solely for safety and to ensure that nothing interferes with courts proceedings. There will be no further comments concerning security matters associated with this trial."

12:17 p.m. update: Update from Mark Becker:

https://twitter.com/MarkBeckerWSOC9/status/623162206276984832

 12:10 p.m. update: Jury selection for the Kerrick trial will start at 2 p.m. Monday. While the media has access to jury questionnaires, the judge has ruled there will be no cameras allowed for jury selection.

The judge is wrapping up the motion hearings.

https://twitter.com/MarkBeckerWSOC9/status/623162206276984832

12:03 p.m. update: Randall "Wes" Kerrick has sat quietly  next to his attorneys throughout Monday morning, Mark Becker reports.

His wife and other family members sit behind him. Becker reports Jonathan Ferrell’s family is not inside the courtroom.

11:54 a.m. update: The judge says there will be no cameras in court during jury selection. He said he will wait to rule on camera in court during the actual trial.

https://twitter.com/StephanieWSOC9/status/623158162066141184


11:20 a.m. update: The family of Jonathan Ferrell addressed the media Monday as the trial against the officer who police say shot and killed him gets underway.

WATCH: Jonathan Ferrell's family talks to media before start of trial

"I am here to be a voice for Jonathan beyond the grave," said Georgia Ferrell, Jonathan's mother.

Georgia Ferrell, Jonathan's brother Willie and family attorney Christopher Chestnut spoke at the news conference outside the Charlotte Government Center. They said they are seeking to diffuse any negative attention the trial might put on Jonathan.

CLICK PLAY -- Family of Jonathan Ferrell addresses media ahead of trial:

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It's not clear what the defense's strategy will be. However, the family anticipates attorneys will try to rake Jonathan's name over the coals.

"I think [the defense is] going to try to profile Jonathan as an angry black male, as a criminal, as a thug. But he wasn't," Chestnut said.

Ferrell's family said the former Florida A&M University football player had volunteered to be a designated driver the night he got into an accident. He banged on a woman's door and police say he was later shot 10 times by Officer Randall "Wes" Kerrick.

"Jonathan loved everyone and he did not deserve to die the way he was killed," his mother said.

After nearly two years of waiting and frustration, the family hopes for justice. But they recognize justice won't change everything.

https://twitter.com/BlakeWSOC9/status/623148521873633280

"This trial will never bring Jonathan back. It will never bring him back," Georgia Ferrell said.

Eyewitness News spoke off-camera to the brother-in-law of Kerrick but he declined an interview.


10:12 a.m. update: PRESS PLAY to watch raw video of protesters arriving at the courthouse ahead of the start of Kerrick's trial:

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10:02 a.m. update: Mark Becker reports he also has a list of potential witnesses. There are almost 200 listed including 85 Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers.

https://twitter.com/MarkBeckerWSOC9/status/623131926589779968

9:45 a.m. update: Mark Becker, who is tweeting from inside the courtroom, said he received the questionnaire for the jurors.

https://twitter.com/MarkBeckerWSOC9/status/623125793334534144

9:20 a.m. update: Randall "Wes" Kerrick is in the courtroom ahead of his trial.

About a dozen protesters marched from Marshall Park to the courthouse ahead of the trial.

https://twitter.com/jimbradleyWSOC9/status/623120845263777792

Follow Mark Becker and Jim Bradley on Twitter for live updates.

Kerrick is accused of shooting and killing unarmed Jonathan Ferrell on Sept. 14, 2013.

Three officers were called to the 7500 block of Reedy Creek Road in east Mecklenburg County around 2:30 that morning. A woman told police Ferrell was banging on her front door.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said Ferrell ran toward the officers when they arrived. One of the officers deployed his Taser, but it was unsuccessful. Kerrick fired his weapon 12 times at close range. Ten of the shots hit Ferrell, killing him.

Police later discovered a wrecked car that Ferrell was driving about 500 yards away. Officers say Ferrell was unarmed.

Around 9:30 p.m. Sept. 14, 2013, Kerrick was charged with voluntary manslaughter, marking the first time an officer in Charlotte had been charged with manslaughter for actions on duty.

Kerrick was released from jail on a $50,000 bond. He remains suspended without pay from CMPD.

Ferrell, a former football player at Florida A&M University, was living in Charlotte with his fiancée. A toxicology report released in November showed Ferrell had 60 mg/dl of ethanol in his system, equal to a .06 if blown during a DWI check point. The legal limit in North Carolina is .08.

The Ferrell family filed a civil suit against the city, county, CMPD and former Police Chief Rodney Monroe on Jan. 14, 2014. The suit was settled in May 2015 for $2.25 million.

George Laughrun and Michael J. Greene will represent Kerrick. His attorneys were hired by the Fraternal Order of Police.

Recent stories:

“We're ready for the trial. We're going to facilitate people's right to be heard, get their voices out there, to demonstrate and protest. We are not going to allow criminal behavior,” new police chief Kerr Putney said.

  • Raw video clip -- CMPD Chief Putney on Kerrick trial preparations:

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CMPD said in a written statement:

"We are aware that there are outside individuals who may take advantage of the event in an effort to divide our community. We are prepared to protect our citizens and facilitate the constitutional rights of individuals who wish to peacefully assemble and demonstrate."

Channel 9 will have a team of reporters covering the Kerrick trial. Follow @wsoctv on Twitter for continuous updates.

Twitter handles for reporters who will be covering the trial:

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