Trending
What began as 75 potential juror candidates was whittled down to the final 12 jurors selected for the former Benwood Volunteer Fire Department chief's trial for domestic battery.
The Garson Taylor trial was set to begin Wednesday, but due to juror selection lasting the entire first trial day, the defense and prosecution will not give their opening remarks until Thursday morning.
Taylor faces charges of wanton endangerment and strangulation, along with misdemeanor charges of domestic battery, fleeing and obstructing an officer.
Taylor was arrested in April 2023 after his wife was found with a bloody face and choke marks on her neck. When Benwood police officers attempted to arrest Taylor, he refused to stop in his vehicle, continuing past his house to begin a car chase that culminated into an hour-long standoff.
The standoff began when officers eventually blocked his vehicle, with Taylor allegedly pointing a gun at his head during the hour-long confrontation. The altercation ended after an officer opened Taylor's truck door and pulled him out of the vehicle.
According to Benwood police, several AR-style rifles and about 800 rounds of ammunition were found in Taylor's vehicle. Reports state that the former fire chief was also wearing body armor at the time of the incident
A contributing factor in the delay of the trial start was each of the 43 candidates left participated in a separate questioning session.
Both Marshall County Prosecutor Joe Canestraro and defense attorney Robert G. McCoid asked potential jurors separate selections of questions in a room isolated from the rest of the candidates.
Another factor leading to the long selection was the number of potential jurors questioned over the eight hours of the trial day. Though the prosecution and defense did not have to work through the pool of 75 candidates originally pulled, the 43 potential jurors had to be questioned thoroughly on Wednesday to reach the final 12.
Such a large pool of candidates was necessary due to the reputation of the defendant, who was well-known in Marshall County due to his former status as fire chief. Potential jurors had to be turned down because of connections to him within the county as well as possibly having familiarity with him due to his work as fire chief.
Newly-appointed 2nd Judicial Circuit Court Judge Charles Wilson will preside over Taylor's trial, with the defense and prosecution set to give their opening statements and begin presenting evidence on Thursday.