Dragging-Death Trial Delayed a Day as Judge Considers a Change of Venue
Testimony in the dragging-death trial of Shawn Allen Berry was delayed one day until Wednesday while the judge reviews a last-minute request to move the trial out of Jasper.
Berry’s attorney argued Monday that pretrial news coverage and a biased juror pool make getting a fair trial impossible.
“It’s clear to me that he can’t get a fair trial here,” said the attorney, Joseph C. Hawthorn.
State District Judge Joe Bob Golden initially planned to allow testimony to begin today and then to rule on the change-of-venue request on Friday.
Prosecutor Guy James Gray objected, saying that constitutional protections against double jeopardy could prevent Berry from facing a second jury if Golden were to dissolve the Jasper jury.
Berry, 24, is the last defendant charged with the June 7, 1998, dragging death of a black man, James Byrd Jr. Two others are already on death row for the killing.
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