The state will seek the death penalty against Luckie Jermaine Barnes, accused in the January 2002 shooting death of a hitchhiker.
By CHASE SQUIRES
Published September 9, 2003
DADE CITY - Attorneys on Monday chose a jury and prepared to present opening arguments today in the murder trial of Luckie Jermaine Barnes.
Grilling prospective jurors, attorneys on both sides made it clear the panel would hold the fate of Barnes' life in its hands. The state will seek to have Barnes put to death if he is convicted.
Barnes, 22, is charged with first-degree murder in the Jan. 23, 2002, shotgun slaying of David Wayne Williamson, 35.
"We will be talking for the next four days about life or death," prosecutor Phil Van Allen told jurors. "That is about as serious as you can get."
Before the selection process started, Barnes' appointed attorneys tried to delay the process, claiming there was scientific evidence they have not had time to review, adding that Barnes might not be competent to stand trial.
Barnes was eager to go to trial and objected to a continuance, but attorney Sam Williams said he appeared to be making illogical decisions.
"I'm no expert," Williams said, "but I can just tell you, to me, personally, he is not rational."
Van Allen argued that doctors had examined Barnes and found no evidence of a problem. Circuit Judge Wayne Cobb ordered the trial to proceed.
During a six-hour selection process, attorneys questioned prospective jurors about their views on the death penalty and on their knowledge of the case, the 52 potential witnesses and their relationship with law enforcement officials.
One person sent home was Jeane Cannon, wife of former Pasco County Sheriff Lee Cannon. Another prospective juror never called up for consideration was Stephen Rotell, ex-husband of Kristina Gaime, accused of murdering one of their children and trying to kill the other.
Barnes, formerly of Brooksville, has been in the Pasco County jail in Land O'Lakes without bail since his arrest. He was in court Monday dressed in a black suit.
Investigators say Barnes - drunk and high on drugs - kidnapped former girlfriend Janelle A. Sanders from work in Brooksville on Jan. 22, 2002, terrorized her and drove her to Pasco County. Along U.S. 98 he stopped and picked up Williamson, who was hitchhiking.
Sanders told investigators Barnes said, "We are going to kill him."
Shortly after they picked him up, Barnes stopped at a Cumberland Farms store and chased the fleeing Williamson with a shotgun, firing twice and knocking him to the ground, authorities have said. Then he stood over him and fired into his chest, killing him, according to investigators.
Barnes' behavior since his arrest has been erratic. He has been accused of slapping a deputy, trying to kill himself, breaking a sprinkler in the jail and writing a threatening letter to a prosecutor in Hernando County.
"You crackers think y'all can stop me? Ha, think again," Barnes wrote to Assistant State Attorney Marlene Wells last year, according to reports. "I promise you this I will be out and you will pay. . . . Can't no cage hold me. It's just a matter of time before I'm free."
Opening arguments are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. today in Cobb's courtroom.
