Trial for accused triggerman in Chester councilman’s killing could be moved

The trial for the accused triggerman in the shooting death of Chester City Councilman Odell Williams could be moved to another county, if a judge grants a defense motion made Thursday.

Sixth Circuit Deputy Public Defender William Frick asked Circuit Court Judge Brian Gibbons to move the trial for Christopher Marquavious Moore to a different county, pointing primarily to the amount of media coverage the case has received locally since Williams’ slaying.

Williams, 69, a member of the City Council since 1997, also was a retired Chester police officer. He was gunned down Nov. 4, 2014.

Police and prosecutors have said Williams was shot by Moore, 19, one of five alleged Roundtree Circle Gang members Williams was following, because he had been told they were planning to rob a rival gang. Moore is accused of lying in wait for Williams after getting out of the a truck during the chase, then shooting Williams in the head with an assault rifle in a fusillade of 17 shots.

Frick attached a “sampling” of news stories about the case in his 76-page change-of-venue motion.

“Everything about this case has been covered in the Charlotte media market,” Frick said at Thursday’s hearing, where he recommended the trial be moved south to Fairfield County. “That’s in the Columbia media market. There’s been hardly any coverage of this case down there.”

Fairfield County is in the Sixth Judicial Circuit, along with Chester and Lancaster counties. Frick argued that the excessive media coverage locally would make finding an unbiased jury difficult in Chester County, and suggested that not moving it could increase the likelihood of an appeal.

“We’re going to waste Chester County’s money by bringing in 100 people and not being able to pick 12 of them,” Frick said. “When this case goes to trial … I think everybody wants to see it handled one time.”

Deputy Solicitor Julie Hall agreed with Frick about “wanting to get this right the first time,” but she said Williams’ family wants the case to be heard by Chester County jurors. She said the case should be ready for trial within six months.

Judge Gibbons briefly discussed court scheduling in Chester and Fairfield counties with the attorneys and said he would rule on the motion by Monday. He said he also would rule on two motions concerning bond for Moore by Monday.

In what Frick called a rare move to allow his client to speak in court, Moore turned to members of Williams’ family and apologized to them during a request for bond, saying he is a “changed man.”

“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,” Moore said. “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.”

Moore has been in custody without bond since his arrest.

Two of Moore’s co-defendants, Derrick Dixon, 20, and Terrance Buchanan, 25, are free on bond. DeAngelo Roseboro, 20, had been free on bond, but was arrested in March for violating the curfew condition of his bond. Quinton McClinton, 26, remains jailed without bond.

Hall asked Gibbons to deny bond, noting that Moore was free on bond for a 2013 burglary arrest and was on probation for a York County conviction when he was arrested for Williams’ murder. Hall also asked Gibbons to revoke Moore’s bond for an assault and battery charge stemming from an incident in early 2014.

Frick said the warrant for that charge wasn’t served on Moore until he was arrested for Williams’ murder, and that the case didn’t go to the grand jury until last month.

“It becomes a convenient excuse to detain him and arrest him that night,” he said.

Williams’ daughter, Coretta Williams, asked Gibbons not to allow Moore out of jail.

“When I hear all this, ‘Sorry for the family, sorry for the family,’ they may be, but it’s the first time I heard it,” she said. “When you have a blatant disregard for human life, there’s a problem.

“We should all have a problem with that, no matter if it’s our family or not, because that is a danger to the community.”

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 8:50 PM with the headline "Trial for accused triggerman in Chester councilman’s killing could be moved."