OH jury must start deliberations over again in ex-deputy’s murder trial

• Another juror was dismissed Friday in the murder trial of former Ohio sheriff’s deputy Jason Meade, forcing the panel to resume deliberations.
• Jason Meade is charged with murder and reckless homicide in the December 2020 killing of 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr. in Columbus.
• Meade testified that Goodson came towards him with a gun and he shot him.

Another juror was dismissed Friday in the murder trial of a former Ohio sheriff’s deputy, forcing the panel to re-deliberate for the third time in three days.

The dismissal came less than an hour after jurors resumed the trial. There are currently no alternate jurors available to serve on the case, and it is unclear what will happen if another juror is removed.

Court officials have not said why jurors are dismissed, but jurors can be dismissed for a variety of reasons, including falling ill, investigating a case outside the deliberation room, or being dismissed outside the courtroom. There are various possibilities, such as talking to someone about the matter.

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

The jury began deliberating Wednesday afternoon, with one juror dismissed that day and another on Thursday. The committee originally included four alternates to hear all testimony in the case, including one who was elevated to the role of main juror during the trial.

Meade testified that Goodson brandished a gun at him as the two drove past each other, and that he chased Goodson fearing for his life and that of others. He said the young man approached Goodson with a gun and eventually shot him dead in the doorway of his grandmother’s house.

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Police said Meade, a Baptist pastor, shot Goodson six times, including five times in the back.

Goodson’s family and prosecutors said he was holding a sandwich bag in one hand and keys in the other when he was shot. They do not dispute that Goodson may have had a gun, noting that he had a firearms license.

Goodson’s weapon was found on the kitchen floor of his grandmother’s house with the safety mechanism activated.

There was no body camera footage of the shooting, and prosecutors repeatedly argued that Meade was the only person who testified that Goodson had a gun.