Trial in death of Chester councilman could move forward as early as April

The alleged gang member accused of gunning down Chester City Councilman Odell Williams in November 2014 could face trial as early as the week of April 18, court officials said.

And it appears that the trial could come down to a self-defense claim after Christopher Moore, 19, told Williams’ family in open court in December that he was sorry and that he is a changed man.

Police say Moore, an ex-con out probation for other crimes, is a member of the Roundtree Circle gang in Chester.

Moore’s attorney, 6th Circuit Deputy Public Defender William Frick, already has signaled in court that he will argue that the shooting was in self-defense, claiming Williams chased five men for miles and shot at the men before he was killed.

Williams, 69, a retired police officer, was chasing the gang members after his wife was fearful of being a crime victim, earlier hearings have showed. Police said that the gang members were plotting a raid on a rival gang while armed with guns, but were intercepted by Williams, who chased them through Chester streets.

Williams was killed after Moore slipped out of the car with a semi-automatic rifle, police and prosecutors have said, and shot Williams. After all five alleged gang members were arrested days later, Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood said he, his deputies and their families had received death threats from gang members.

The trial was moved to Winnsboro in Fairfield County after Frick successfully argued that Moore could not receive a fair trial in Chester because of all the publicity the killing and subsequent arrests. Frick said he is preparing for the trial to start April 18.

Clerk of Court officials in Fairfield County confirmed that they intend to ask for a larger than normal jury pool for the April 18 term of court.

Prosecutors, who control when trials are scheduled, have not confirmed the April date but that week and another week in mid- May have been discussed trial schedule possibilities.

Visiting Circuit Court Judge Paul Burch of Chesterfield is scheduled to hold court April 18 and would be the trial judge if the case moves forward to trial as planned.

Frick declined to discuss the trial other than scheduling. A year ago, Frick argued in court that Williams, who was under indictment at the time of his death for allegedly threatening to kill Chester’s police chief, shot at Moore first and that Moore had every right under South Carolina’s stand-your-ground laws to defend himself.

In December, Moore said in open court: “I’m so sorry for the victim’s family, but I’m not this bad guy everybody’s trying to make me out to be. I have learned things, I’ve went through things, I’ve cried. If I could give my life for the victim’s family, I would. I would give my life for his life. I know how it feels to lose someone.”

Prosecutors, who have declined to discuss the case outside of court hearings, have balked in court at any claim that Moore shot Williams in self-defense.

Prosecutors have not said that Williams fired at the gang members, but earlier court hearings have showed that Williams was chasing the five men and fired a gun at some time that night. Prosecutors have said that Moore chose to jump from the truck and lie in wait for Williams, then ambushed Williams as he drove by again in a circuitous chase.

In earlier hearings, prosecutors have said Moore clearly was the shooter, based on DNA evidence at the crime scene, witnesses who said Moore tried to get a ride to escape, and the statement of another of the accused gang members, who told police about the plot and implicated himself and the four others.

The other four accused in the killing have not yet faced trial and are not expected be tried at the same time as Moore.

This story was originally published March 2, 2016 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Trial in death of Chester councilman could move forward as early as April."