Jury Selection Underway in Young Trial; Little’s Manslaughter Trial Delayed Again

SAN ANGELO, TX -- Approximately 80 potential jurors filed through security into the Tom Green County courthouse Monday morning for selection in the forgery, theft and money laundering trial of John Young.  

They gathered in courtroom A on the second floor of the courthouse and answered a questionnaire hammered out by defense and prosecuting attorneys during pretrial hearings.  Judge Brock Jones was across the hall reading last minute motions by attorneys while defense attorneys met with Young and prosecutors from the Texas Attorney General’s office conferred in a jury room at the other end of the hall.  

Meanwhile, the dozens of potential jurors for the manslaughter trial of Jason Scott Little crowded into Courtroom D on the first floor of the courthouse.  They were there in anticipation of Little’s trial beginning Tuesday morning.  

Shortly before ten a.m., Jason Scott Little entered courtroom B in an orange jail jumpsuit shackled and chained escorted by a sheriff’s deputy.  At the same time, John Young, wearing a suit and tie entered courtroom A led by his defense attorneys.  

Prosecutors in the Young case moved boxes and boxes of evidence from the jury room down the hall to a conference room across the hall from courtroom A while Judge Jones moved into judicial chambers behind the bench.  Jury selection in the Young case then began.  

Down the hall, District Judge Brad Goodwin continued the final pretrial hearing for Jason Scott Little.  Lead defense attorney Evan Pierce Jones updated the court on an amended motion to dismiss the charges against Little citing his Constitutional right to a speedy trial.  

Jones said that his team reviewed the in car video over the weekend of San Angelo Police Officer Tina Burks, who was the first officer on the scene February 1, 2015 after the call of shots fired at Eva’s bar on MLK Blvd. came in.  As we reported earlier, Burks in car video was mislabeled and not found until District Attorney John Best requested it last week from the SAPD.  Jones argued that the video should have been available two years ago.  

Jones co-counsel Todd Simons reviewed the video and said it showed a man and a woman who said they witnessed a person walk into the bar and shoot the victim.  That contradicts most of the rest of the potential evidence which shows the shooting was a drive by.  

Jones concluded his argument that the Burks video was a “game changer,” and if the judge didn’t dismiss the charges, they would need 4 to 6 months to be able to vet the video and interview the potential witnesses.  

Prosecutors argued that there was no new evidence in the video and the officer’s report contained all the pertinent information.  

After two hours of testimony, Judge Goodwin granted a continuance of the trial delaying it again.  He said he would take the two motions to dismiss under advisement and he would dismiss the potential jurors on Tuesday.  Goodwin also instructed defense attorneys to file a motion requesting documents concerning Kimberly Sanchez’s health.  Sanchez was Little’s live in girlfriend and is a witness for the state.  

Defense attorneys asked Goodwin to reduce Little's bond to a PR Bond so he can get out of jail until his jury trial begins citing the damage he has suffered.  Little has been in jail for two years and eight months pending trial.  

The John Young trial continues in the Tom Green County Courthouse at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning while the Little trial will be reset to a later date.