Jury selection begins in second Coonrod trial
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
CIRCLEVILLE - Jury selection was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Monday in the retrial of Wesley Coonrod, on charges of murder.
Coonrod, 42, of Greenfield, was found guilty in October of two counts of felony endangering children. He had faced aggravated murder charges with death penalty specifications stemming from a March fire in his apartment on Lafayette Street in Greenfield, during which his sons Thomas, 4, and Stephen, 3, were killed. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the aggravated murder charges, two charges of murder with lesser charges of manslaughter and reckless homicide, and aggravated arson. The state will not seek to retry him on the aggravated murder charges, so he is no longer facing the death penalty.
He will not face the death penalty during the second trial, which was moved to Pickaway County after the defense, represented by attorneys Williams Mooney and Jerry McHenry, asked Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss to consider the change of venue. Coss agreed with the defense motion, saying that the amount of media attention the case has received would make it difficult to seat a second jury in Highland County.
Coss remains as presiding judge, and the state will be represented by the Highland County Prosecutor's Office.
On Friday, Coonrod was transferred to the Pickaway County Jail, where he will be held during the trial proceedings in the Pickaway County Courthouse in Circleville. Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward, according to Coss, is coordinating with the Pickaway County Sheriff's Office, and a deputy from Highland County will be sent for the trial to transport Coonrod to the courthouse.
Coss said that he anticipates the retrial to go more quickly than the first trial, which lasted just over two weeks, with jury selections beginning on Sept. 27, concluding with the return of verdicts on Oct. 11. It took more than three days to seat a jury during the first trial. Coss said he hopes the second jury will be seated in one day.
Check back to highlandcountypress.com, and visit our facebook and twitter page for coverage as the trial happens.
CIRCLEVILLE - Jury selection was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Monday in the retrial of Wesley Coonrod, on charges of murder.
Coonrod, 42, of Greenfield, was found guilty in October of two counts of felony endangering children. He had faced aggravated murder charges with death penalty specifications stemming from a March fire in his apartment on Lafayette Street in Greenfield, during which his sons Thomas, 4, and Stephen, 3, were killed. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the aggravated murder charges, two charges of murder with lesser charges of manslaughter and reckless homicide, and aggravated arson. The state will not seek to retry him on the aggravated murder charges, so he is no longer facing the death penalty.
He will not face the death penalty during the second trial, which was moved to Pickaway County after the defense, represented by attorneys Williams Mooney and Jerry McHenry, asked Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss to consider the change of venue. Coss agreed with the defense motion, saying that the amount of media attention the case has received would make it difficult to seat a second jury in Highland County.
Coss remains as presiding judge, and the state will be represented by the Highland County Prosecutor's Office.
On Friday, Coonrod was transferred to the Pickaway County Jail, where he will be held during the trial proceedings in the Pickaway County Courthouse in Circleville. Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward, according to Coss, is coordinating with the Pickaway County Sheriff's Office, and a deputy from Highland County will be sent for the trial to transport Coonrod to the courthouse.
Coss said that he anticipates the retrial to go more quickly than the first trial, which lasted just over two weeks, with jury selections beginning on Sept. 27, concluding with the return of verdicts on Oct. 11. It took more than three days to seat a jury during the first trial. Coss said he hopes the second jury will be seated in one day.
Check back to highlandcountypress.com, and visit our facebook and twitter page for coverage as the trial happens.
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