Trial postponed in double-fatal Dayton garage shooting
Concerns about coronavirus have postponed a trial in a case where a man is accused of killing two teenagers.
A jury trial in the case against Victor Santana was set for this month. Santana is accused of killing 17-yearold Dayton residents Devin Henderson and Javier Harrison and firing at a third teenager who survived in August of last year.
Santana is charged with four counts of murder, five counts of felonious assault and one count of attempt to commit murder.
Public defense attorney Michael Pentecost filed a motion at the end of last month that the trial should notmove forward right now because of the epidemic.
“...the ongoing COVID19 pandemic continues to pose a significant risk to the healthandsafetyof all participants in a jury trial, including the court, court personnel, potential jurors, witnesses, trial counsel and the defendant,” the motion says.
MontgomeryCountyCommon Pleas Court Administrative Judge Gregory Singer previously filed an order suspending all civil and criminal trials through the end of the year, but the order also gives each individual judge the ability to hold trials if unavoidable circumstances arise. Pentecost said in the motion that there are no circumstances that should prevent the case frombeing continued and said that his client filed a time waiver to avoid any speedy trial implications.
The motion also says that Santana is 65 years old and a high risk of contracting COVID-19.
“He is currently housed in the medical unit at theMontgomery County Jail and has personally expressed concern to counsel about this heightened risk and howthis concernwould prevent him from being able to be fully engaged during a trialwhile requiring the services of an interpreter during all proceedings,” the motion says. “AdefendantlikeMr. Santana should not be forced into risking a potentially deadly infection during an ongoing pandemicwhen he, personally, is requesting a postponement of the trial in order to exercise his rights without such health and safety concerns.”
Prosecutors responded to the motion, pointing out that other jury trials have taken place inMontgomeryCounty recently and that the case had already been postponed once before. They said they object to the continuance.
OnWednesday, Judge Timothy O’Connell ordered the trial continued. Instead of a final pre-trial hearing taking place on Tuesday, it’s been changed to a scheduling conference.