The jury trial of the three GameStop shooting and murder defendants is set to start Monday, although it's unclear if the trial will proceed as scheduled in Rockdale County Superior Court.
Rockdale County District Attorney Richard Read said prosecutors are preparing to go to trial. But attorney Jeremy Moulton, representing Tron Hill, filed a motion for severance to separate his trial from the trials of his co-defendants. Public defender Owen Humphries, representing Markus Seymore, also filed a motion for continuance.
"Who will be on trial is up in the air," said Read. "That'll be worked out on Monday." Judge David Irwin will be back in court on Monday to rule on the motions.
Giovannte Maddox, 27, of Atlanta, and Tron Hill, 25, and Markus Isiah Seymore, 17, are charged with murder, two counts of armed robbery, kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, obstruction and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. The three allegedly robbed the Conyers GameStop, on Dogwood Drive, at gunpoint on November 11, 2010, tied up an employee in the back, and shot customer Adrian Snow, 40, who later died from his wounds. Maddox and Hill were caught and arrested at the scene. Seymore escaped and spent the night in the sewer system before being arrested the next morning when he emerged on the Interstate 20 median.
Hill's motion for severance for Hill cited that the "defenses presented by the defendants are likely to be antagonistic to one another" and that the jury might "construe evidence against Maddox or Seymore against Hill." Hill also would be able to use Seymore or Maddox as witnesses if the trials were separated.
Seymore is represented by public defender Owen Humphries. Seymore was recently also identified by DNA tests as having ties to the June 2010 armed robbery of Wendy's on Ga. Highway 138.