Trial of Suspect in Shooting Death at Home Depot Delayed to September

The murder trial of Justin Matthews will now take place almost three years to the day that his ex-girlfriend was shot dead in the parking lot of Home Depot on St. Thomas after the court ruled the defense may have more time to prepare due to a change in attorneys. Jury selection had been scheduled to start on Monday.

Superior Court Judge Denise M. Francois granted the continuance in a written order Wednesday, rescheduling jury selection to Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. in courtroom three of the Alexander A. Farrelly Justice Center on St. Thomas, and the start of the trial to Sept. 9.

The change comes after Public Defender Laina B. Arras took over the case from colleague Ramiro Orozco, who is leaving the office. At a pretrial conference on Jan. 8, they asked the court for more time for Arras to fully investigate the facts and adequately prepare a defense.

READMORE:STTHOMASSOURCE