Attorneys of a man being tried this week for shooting and killing a panhandler told jurors the panhandler was aggressive and threatened to kill him during the fatal encounter outside the Trader Joe鈥檚 in 香港六和开奖历史记录.
Jace Orion Boyd, 28, faces a mandatory life sentence if he鈥檚 convicted of second-degree murder. He鈥檚 also being tried for illegal use of a weapon for shooting 61-year-old Danny Buckley dead in the parking lot of the Trader Joe鈥檚 parking lot on Perkins Road.
Attorneys spent all of Monday and Tuesday morning selecting a jury composed of eight men and six women 鈥 four of the jurors are Black. Boyd鈥檚 attorneys motioned for a bench trial, but District Judge Brad Myers denied their bid to waive a jury and have the presiding judge decide his guilt or innocence.
As testimony in the trial began Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors told the jurors Buckley was unarmed and didn鈥檛 pose a threat when Boyd fatally shot him. They intend to prove the shooting wasn't a justifiable homicide.
鈥淭he evidence will show that Danny Buckley was panhandling,鈥 Assistant District Attorney Schyler Brooks said in his opening statement. 鈥淭he evidence will show that Danny Buckley was not attacking anyone in that parking lot. The evidence will show that Danny Buckley was not attacking Jace Boyd.鈥
Boyd鈥檚 attorneys painting a starkly different picture, depicting Buckley as the aggressor who instigated an exchange with Boyd and escalated it to a fatal encounter.
Seth Dornier told jurors Boyd pulled into the shopping center with his then-pregnant fianc茅 to buy fish food from the Petco. He had several long guns and a pistol in his truck because he planned to go pig hunting on his grandfather鈥檚 property in Jennings later that day, Boyd鈥檚 attorney said.
Dornier went on to detail the confrontation, telling jurors Buckley 鈥渂lindsided鈥 Boyd on his driver鈥檚 side as soon as he parked his truck. He said Buckley slammed his hand on the door and side mirror and demanded money. He also pulled on the door handle so hard that he broke it, Dornier indicated.
Investigators said the two men began arguing through the truck window and Buckley walked away.
When Boyd saw him approaching two women in the parking lot loading groceries into their car, he got out of his truck and yelled at Buckley to "leave people alone because he was scaring them," according to an arrest warrant.
鈥淎s he got very close to these two women, he heard Jace鈥檚 screams, turned around and focused his aggression and his attention back on Jace Boyd,鈥 Dornier said.
Trayford Pellerin's mother Michelle, center, wipes tears from her eyes as a member of her family speaks in the parking lot of Trader Joe's during a vigil honoring the memories of Danny Buckley and Trayford Pellerin, Saturday, August 29, 2020, near the intersection of Perkins Road and Acadian Thruway in 香港六和开奖历史记录, La. Danny Buckley, 61, was shot and killed by Jace Boyd, 24, while panhandling in the parking lot on Saturday, August 24. Trayford Pellerin was shot and killed by Lafayette Police Department officers Friday, August 21 in Lafayette, La.
Boyd, armed with a handgun, said he heard Buckley grumble 鈥淚鈥檓 going to kill you鈥 as the panhandler advanced toward him, according to Dornier. He said Buckley also began reaching into his loose-fitting clothing and Boyd warned that he would shoot if he didn鈥檛 stop approaching. When Buckley didn鈥檛, Boyd pulled the trigger, but the gun misfired. He then reloaded a round into the chamber and fired a bullet that struck Buckley in the stomach.
Dornier said Boyd put the gun down and unloaded it after Buckley fell to the ground, and immediately called 911. He said Boyd called 911 a second time after the panhandler got up.
鈥淎s he (Buckley) came toward Jace in a very aggressive manner, Jace stood his ground,鈥 the attorney told jurors. 鈥淗e had a pistol in his hand and he stood his ground.鈥
At least one witness has publicly stated she didn鈥檛 feel threatened when Buckley approached her outside the grocery store and asked for money.
Boyd is White and Buckley was Black. The slaying stirred public outcry and prompted a vigil outside the Trader Joe鈥檚, staged by community activists who questioned whether police would鈥檝e handled the case differently if a young Black man shot and killed an older White panhandler in the upscale shopping center鈥檚 parking lot.
Donell Buckley (left) is the son of Danny Buckley (right). Danny Buckley was fatally shot in the parking lot of Trader Joe's in 香港六和开奖历史记录. (left photo by Hilary Scheinuk)
Buckley鈥檚 family has alleged the fatal shooting was racially motivated and attorneys representing the victim鈥檚 son in an ongoing wrongful death lawsuit against Boyd have described the incident as a hate crime.
The murder trial is expected to continue at 9 a.m. Wednesday inside the 19th Judicial District Courthouse.
