9-day trial scheduled for Jefferson City teen accused of murder
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A nine-day jury trial has been scheduled for a Jefferson City teenager accused of a 2018 murder.
Jahuan Whirley, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, was certified as an adult in the fatal shooting of corrections officer Justin Kammerich, 33.
Whirley faces multiple felonies in the case including first-degree murder.
Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ordered the trial to start on Sept. 7.
There are also two pre-trial conferences scheduled in the case before the trial officially begins. The first conference will happen on June 1 and the second is scheduled for Aug. 31.
The trial date comes more than a year after the original three-day trial was scheduled to be held in May 2020. It was pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to online court records.
Police say Kammerich and a 20-year-old man were both found suffering from gunshot wounds outside of an apartment building on W. Atchison Street on Dec. 12, 2018.
The victim told investigators he and Kammerich were talking when Whirley approached and asked them to hand over their wallets and cell phones, according to Whirley's probable cause statement. The victim said he and Kammerich were shot before handing over their money and phones.
Investigators matched a gun found in Whirley's home to the one used in the shooting, court documents said.
Whirley told police he heard gunshots from his and walked over to the shooting scene, according to the probable cause statement.
Whirley was originally charged with second-degree murder but it was later upgraded to first-degree. Prosecutors also charged Whirley with counts of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, armed criminal action, attempted first-degree robbery and unlawful use of a weapon.
