No Additional Charges For Man Accused In Bellaire Killing
Trending
ST. CLAIRSVILLE - Sandton Browder, who is accused of murdering 24-year-old Jordan Dean of North Carolina, was not given additional charges during a hearing in Belmont Common Pleas Court Monday.
The Virginia native is accused of shooting and killing Dean at a Bellaire home on Jan. 15. During Browder's last pre-trial hearing on September 21, the state announced it may be looking to file additional charges for Browder. Since none were brought, his charges remain one count of murder with a firearms specification and one count of having a weapon while under disability.
During the last pre-trial hearing, Browder's then-attorney, Belmont County public defender Lane Hanlon, informed Judge Christopher Berhalter there may be issues regarding the four experts the defense would be calling to testify.
This time, public defender Aaron Miller represented Browder, not Hanlon. Berhalter asked Miller what the status of the experts were, which he said is ongoing. The ballistics report from them should be complete in mid- to late-November, according to Miller.
"The issue was the payment of those experts, that has since been resolved," Miller said. "We are waiting to hear back from the forensic pathologist. There’s been communication back and forth. The ballistics expert has been sent everything, so I don't perceive that being an issue with the timing of the trial."
Belmont County Assistant Prosecutor Joe Vavra said the state of Ohio may potentially need to obtain its own forensic pathologist once a report is filed by Browder's ballistics expert.
"I think that the state would need to address potentially, as far as a forensic pathologist, certainly that would not be an issue with timing for the state, as we have our own already involved," Vavra said. "However, I would just ask that as soon as there is a report from the ballistics expert that that be provided, should the state determine if necessary to retain our own ballistics expert, we can use them in common fashion that won’t impede the trial."
Berhalter then reminded the court of a plea agreement deadline of Dec. 14 and a trial date of Jan. 12 at 8:30 a.m.