COLUMBUS, Ohio — A new trial date has been set for former Franklin County sheriff's deputy Jason Meade.
Meade is charged with two counts of murder and reckless homicide in the December 2020 killing of 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr. in Columbus.
His new trial will start on Oct. 31 with jury selection and testimony to begin on Nov. 4.
A Franklin County Court of Common Pleas judge declared a mistrial in February after the jury could not come to a decision on two counts of murder and one count of reckless homicide. During the new trial, special prosecutors will try Meade again on the same charges.
What happened in the first trial?
Meade testified that Goodson waved a gun at him as the two drove past each other so he pursued Goodson because he feared for his life and the lives of others. He said he eventually shot Goodson in the doorway of his grandmother’s home because the young man turned toward him with a gun.
Goodson’s family and prosecutors have said he was holding a sandwich bag in one hand and his keys in the other when he was fatally shot. They do not dispute that Goodson may have been carrying a gun and note he had a license to carry a firearm.
Goodson’s weapon was found on his grandmother’s kitchen floor with the safety mechanism engaged.
There is no body camera video of the shooting, and prosecutors repeatedly asserted that Meade is the only person who testified Goodson was holding a gun. Meade was not wearing a body camera.
During closing arguments, prosecutors said Meade's claims about Goodson posing a threat were simply not credible.
Defense lawyers insisted that the evidence in the case was consistent with Meade's testimony.