Demetrius Coleman to seek new murder trial
A Eureka man convicted of a 2019 murder in Rio Dell is seeking a new trial.
Defense attorney Andrea Sullivan said in court Friday that Demetrius Coleman, 40, who last month was convicted of the fatal drive-by shooting of 26-year- old Johnny Mack Renfro on Aug. 29, 2019, was seeking a new trial and she couldn’t represent him in Friday’s hearing to have jury information released. The makeup of the jury is unknown because the court livestream, which has been in place since the COVID-19 pandemic began, did not show the jurors.
“I believe that Mr. Coleman will have allegations of ineffective assistance of counsel,” Sullivan said.
Defense attorney Zachary Curtis was appointed as Coleman’s attorney for the new trial motion.
Coleman had a sentencing date set for Jan. 7, but Judge Kelly Neel vacated that date and said it wouldn’t be reset until Coleman “had an opportunity to explore with alternate counsel whether a new trial motion ought to be filed.”
Coleman said he was under the impression the hearing Friday was for a Marsden hearing, during which an individual makes the case to fire their courtappointed attorney, rather than a motion to release jury information.
“I mean I’ve been trying to contact my lawyer for the past three or four weeks,” Coleman said.
At Coleman’s trial, Deputy District Attorney Carolyn Schaffer argued Coleman committed the murder because he believed Renfro had robbed him of marijuana. Eyewitnesses presented by the prosecution said they saw Coleman’s green Honda Accord with the rear window shot out near the scene of the crime around the time it happened, but all but one said the man driving had dreadlocks.
Witnesses who knew
Coleman said he wore his hair in a “man bun” and not dreadlocks.
Coleman testified to being crouched in the backseat of the car while a Jamaican man named Dread, who he said had dreadlocks, committed the crime.
Coleman was convicted of the murder of Renfro in November.
The Marsden hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Jan. 30. A setting date for the hearing to release jury information is set to occur shortly after at 8:45 a.m. Jan. 30.