Ohio jury must start deliberations over for third time in ex-deputy's murder trial

Another juror was dismissed Friday in the murder trial of a former Ohio sheriff’s deputy, forcing the panel to start over its deliberations for the third time in three days.

The dismissal came less than an hour after jurors had resumed their talks. There are now no more alternate jurors available for the case, and it is unclear what would happen if another juror is dismissed.

Court officials have not said why any of the jurors were removed, but they can be dismissed for a number of reasons, including if they fall sick, research the case outside the deliberation room, or talk about it to someone outside the court.

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Jason Meade, who is white, is charged with murder and reckless homicide in the December 2020 killing in Columbus of 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr., who was Black.

The jury started its deliberations Wednesday afternoon, and one juror was dismissed that day and another was removed Thursday. The panel initially included four alternates who heard all the testimony in the case, including one who was elevated to the main jury during the 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.

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Police said that Meade, who is a pastor at a Baptist church, shot Goodson six times, including five times in the back.

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 bodycam video of the shooting, and prosecutors repeatedly asserted that Meade is the only person who testified Goodson was holding a gun.