CHESAPEAKE, Va. (AP) - A jury trial for a Virginia security guard charged with killing a man has been delayed over new information about the victim.
The Virginian-Pilot reports 23-year-old Johnathan Cromwell is charged with first-degree murder for the 2017 shooting death of 60-year-old Jiansheng Chen. His trial was set for Monday.
Cromwell’s defense attorney, Andrew Sacks, says he requested a trial delay after he received information about a hit-and-run case from 17 years ago involving Chen.
Sacks says the information may be “significant” to Cromwell’s claim that he shot Chen in self-defense.
Court documents say prosecutors gave Sacks a police report about the hit-and-run last week. Chen was arrested in the case and the charge was later dropped. The newspaper reports additional details weren’t immediately available.
New trial dates haven’t been set.
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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com
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