COLUMBUS, Ohio — Testimony was delayed on Thursday as prosecutors filed seven new subpoenas in the murder trial of former Franklin County deputy Jason Meade, according to court records.
As of Friday evening, two more subpoenas have been filed since Thursday morning, which makes nine in the past 48 hours. One is calling for an additional witness.
According to court documents filed Thursday, the prosecution is looking to add a witness that wasn't previously listed as a possibility. Additional subpoenas show attorneys want to know about any communication between Goodson's mom, Tamala Payne, Goodson family attorney, Sean Walton and a man named Christopher Corne.
All three are expected to be deposed on Monday.
Walton was subpoenaed for his emails from the past six months between himself and Payne about Corne, as well as for emails exchanged with him.
Testimony was expected to resume on Thursday, but attorneys spent most of the morning behind closed doors. The judge brought the jurors out around noon, but it was just to dismiss them for lunch. The jurors were brought back around 1:30 p.m. and were told they were due back in court Tuesday morning.
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Feb. 7 — Meade's testimony continues
Jason Meade took the stand again on Wednesday.
When asked about being able to take cover, Meade testified that there was no need to take cover as he was seeking Goodson as quickly as possible.
The former deputy was then questioned about providing life-saving measures to Goodson after he was shot. Meade said his priorities were to secure the scene, check out the other people inside the house and take them to a safe place.
Another witness, Officer Ryan Rosser with Columbus police, was called to the witness stand following Meade's testimony. Rosser was the secondary responding officer on the day of the shooting.
Rosser said the officers were driving away from the home of the intended target the team was looking for, when suddenly Meade pulled a U-turn and rolled down his window to tell Rosser, "we've gotta go he's got a gun."
He said that after he arrived at Meade's location, he heard Meade yell, "show me your hands" to a man and then heard gunshots.
Retired Akron police officer Kevin Davis took the stand after Rosser. He discussed tactics used by officers when it comes to situations involving the use of deadly force.
Feb. 6 — Meade takes the stand
Former Franklin County Sheriff's deputy Jason Meade was called to the stand Tuesday after five days of testimony from key witnesses.
When Meade took the stand, he was asked about his duties as a deputy and what equipment, including firearms, he used in his 17 years with the sheriff's office. Meade, who was also a deputized member of the US Marshals office, was asked about operations he helped carry out as soon as he took the stand.
When asked about the day of the shooting, Meade said he aired over his radio that someone drove by and waved a gun at him. Meade said he made a U-turn and pursued the suspect's vehicle because he "didn't know what his intentions were at the time."
He then recounted in detail what he recalled happening the day of the shooting. Full recap of Meade's testimony in the trial here.
Prosecutors cross-examined Meade's testimony and asked if he was sure he saw Goodson waving his gun and also questioned whether he used his sirens or lights when pursuing him.
State rests its case
The state of Ohio rested its case against Meade earlier Tuesday.
The defense asked the judge for an acquittal of the charges against Meade based on a lack of evidence presented by the prosecution. The judge denied the motion and the state called its first witness to the stand: Sheila Staniford, Goodson's neighbor, and David Youngless, a deputy U.S. Marshal.
Staniford testified in court, saying, "I didn't see the shooting. I never once said I saw the shooting. I heard the guy tell him to put the gun down."
During his testimony, Youngless explained how and when task force officers are trained to use deadly force. Youngless said he responded to the shooting and saw Meade who had a "blank stare on his face like he saw a ghost."
"I asked if he was OK. He said yes. I asked if he pulled his trigger. He said yes," Youngless testified.
Feb. 5 — Witness testimony continued into Monday. Witnesses called to the stand were:
- Officer Seth Pinney with the Minerva Park Police Department
- Nicholas Leidheiser with the Columbus Division of Fire
- Officer Dana Croom with the Columbus Division of Police
- Caleb Worley, forensic scientist with the Columbus Division of Police
- James Howe, detective in the Columbus Division of Police's Digital Forensics Unit
- Arthur Hughes, detective with Columbus Division of Police's Homicide Unit
Full recap of Day 4 of the trial here.
Officer Seth Pinney with the Minerva Park Police Department took the stand to testify and answer questions. For the first time, video from Pinney's bodyworn camera was shown as he recounted his response to the shooting.
Pinney described the scene as "chaotic."
Nicholas Leidheiser with the Columbus Division of Fire took the stand to recall the medical response after Goodson was shot.
Caleb Worley was called to stand in the afternoon and talked about identifying which firearm could be used on specific spent cartridge cases, bullets and the firearm's operability.
Howe spoke about what was found on Goodson's phone in the digital forensics unit and the time frame for which Goodson may have been using YouTube Music.
Hughes was called to the stand next and talked about being called in to the scene the day Goodson was killed and later on, reviewing video from cruisers that responded to the scene. The court was shown surveillance images from the restaurant that Goodson went to prior to the shooting and the receipt of purchase.
You can view the entire Jason Meade murder trial on 10TV+ , on 10TV's YouTube channel and in this story. The 10TV+ app is free to download on Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV.
Shooting death of Casey Goodson Jr.
On Dec. 4, 2020, Meade was wrapping up an unsuccessful search for a fugitive with the U.S. Marshals Office Fugitive Task Force when he fatally shot Goodson, who was not the subject of the search.
Court records show Meade confronted Goodson outside of his vehicle in front of his grandmother's home in the 3900 block of Estates Place.
Meade's attorneys argue Goodson waved a gun at the deputies, then Meade told Goodson to drop the weapon. Defense attorney Mark Collins has said in previous interviews that Goodson did not listen to those commands. Meade then fatally shot Goodson.
Relatives say Goodson was carrying a bag of sandwiches while opening the door to his grandmother’s house at the time he was shot.
At the time, the sheriff's office did not have body worn cameras. There is no video of the shooting.
Goodson's mother said he had a concealed carry permit and legally had a gun.
An autopsy report showed Goodson was shot five times in the back and once in the buttocks.
Goodson's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Meade, but that is put on hold until the trial is completed. They are expected to be present in court every day of the trial.
Delays in Jason Meade trial
The trial was supposed to start on Oct. 30.
“The prosecutors let us know that the delay was needed in order to prepare for trial,” said Sean Walton, the Goodson family attorney.
Meade's attorneys wanted the case to be tried in federal court as a step toward having the state charges dismissed because it was less likely Meade would be charged with killing Goodson under federal law. The judge ruled the case would stay in state court.
Additionally, on Feb 23, 2023, attorney Mark Collins, who is representing Meade, confirmed that a judge denied Meade's request to change the venue of his murder trial.
Who was Casey Goodson Jr.?
Goodson’s mother Tamala Payne said he was the best older brother to his nine brothers and sisters and his joy was infectious and filled the room.
“The kid had a whole life ahead of him, he had plans, he had dreams, he wanted to be a CCW instructor, he had his CDL license, he was working and saving, trying to save enough money to purchase his own truck,” Payne said.
In an interview back in December 2022, Bredlin Harper who is Goodson's brother, said he sacrificed everything for him.
“He wasn't just our brother, he wanted to be our dad! He fought for us when he was here, and now we have to fight for him."
In 2020, 10TV spoke with Malissa Thomas-St. Clair, who is the founder of Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children and was also Goodson's former sixth-grade math teacher.
“Casey as a sixth-grader was the most compassionate, loving, selfless student. He was helpful, he always wanted to do, he loved to be able to just put a smile on your face. He was light-hearted and funny,” St. Clair said.
Who is Jason Meade?
Meade, who has been out on bond, was a deputy with the sheriff's office for 17 years. He was placed on administrative leave after the shooting, and took disability retirement in July 2021, months before he was indicted.
Meade was also a deputized member of the US Marshals office, but a judge ruled he was not acting as a federal agent at the time of the shooting.
According to Meade's personnel file from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, he was one of seven deputies involved in a deadly shooting in Pike County in 2018. All deputies were cleared in that shooting.
In March 2019, he was given an oral reprimand for using his taser and not telling his supervisor.
He was also one of the deputies who climbed on the rooftop to arrest Monica Justice in July 2020. She was sentenced to 40-to-45 years in prison for a shooting that injured two Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies.