Jury selection in the murder trial for the man accused of fatally shooting a man at the end of last year’s Carnival Parade is being delayed. The judge presiding over the case rescheduled the process for a later date to accommodate a hearing over evidence to be admitted at trial.
At a pretrial hearing held earlier this week, Superior Court Judge Sigrid Tejo said a previously scheduled Daubert hearing had to be rescheduled before jury selection begins. Accused gunman Dion Johnson was present at the hearing held Monday, along with his lawyer and prosecutors from the Justice Department.
Johnson, 22, is charged with homicide in connection with the April 29, 2023 death of Alrick Thomas near Frederick Lutheran Church at the end of the Carnival Adult’s Parade. The Daubert hearing is intended to challenge the admissibility of evidence about the gun allegedly used in the shooting.
Tejo said that the hearing could take place on May 20. Jury selection in the Johnson case was scheduled for May 13, with a trial to start within the following three weeks.
If convicted at trial, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. The extra time allotted by the rescheduled evidentiary hearing could also give lawyers on both sides extra time to work out a plea agreement.
