Murder Trial of Former Louiseville Detective Set to Begin By Dylan T. Lovan, The Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Opening statements in the murder trial of a former Louisville police officer were set to begin Thursday following three days of jury selection.
McKenzie Mattingly could face up to life in prison if convicted of murder in the Jan. 3 shooting of 19-year-old Michael Newby. Mattingly also is charged with wanton endangerment. Police said Newby was carrying a handgun, some crack-cocaine and marijuana the night of the shooting.
Newby was the seventh black man killed by Louisville police since 1998. Mattingly, who is white, shot Newby three times in the back, prompting protests of a police department already facing criticism of previous shootings.
Mattingly, a 32-year-old narcotics detective, was the first Louisville officer to be criminally charged in any of those shootings. He was indicted for murder in March and fired a month later.
Mattingly’s attorneys have said that the former officer cannot receive a fair trial in Jefferson County because of the heavy media coverage and protests.
During jury selection, which began Monday, jury candidates were interviewed individually about their impressions of the media coverage of the case.
Meanwhile, some protesters have held prayer vigils outside the courthouse, and they say they will continue through the trial.
The judge rejected a motion in March by Mattingly’s attorneys to move the trial out of Louisville.
On Thursday morning, prosecutors sought in a motion to exclude evidence that a shell casing was found some distance from the scene that matched the .45-caliber handgun found on Newby. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Judith McDonald-Burkman granted the motion, despite an objection from Mattingly’s attorney.