Veteran defense attorney Jimmy Berry has been appointed to represent Jesse James Warren, the disgruntled former employee who could face the death penalty for allegedly killing three people and wounding two others at a truck rental company.
Berry has practiced law for 40 years and handled 50 death penalty cases. Assisting Berry as co-counsel are defense attorneys Michael Ivan and Priya Lakhi from the Office of the Georgia Capital Defender.
Berry is also lead counsel on two other death penalty cases pending in Cobb County. He told reporters Monday "you never get used to them."
Warren, 60, was in Cobb County Superior Court Monday to be formally notified of the state's intent to seek the ultimate punishment for him, the first of dozens of pretrial hearings expected in the case. Berry said he is currently working on 130 pretrial motions that he expects to file.
Also at the hearing were about 10 friends and family members of the victims, who declined to comment.
Warren, who wore a faded red prison jumpsuit and was shackled at the hands and feet, did not fidget and or register any emotion on his face during the 45-minute-long hearing. He spoke only briefly in response to a question from Superior Court Judge Mary E. Staley about whether he had any objections to the defense attorneys who had been appointed to represent him.
Warren told the judge his attorneys recommended he not answer the question. After pausing to confer with his lawyers, Warren stood to add "your honor, at this time I do not know enough about this case or my attorneys to make that statement."
After the hearing, Berry said his client was a little confused by some of the questions, but "he gets the basics of what's going on."
Warren, a former Penske employee who had been laid off, is accused of returning to the company's facility near Kennesaw on Jan. 12 and opening fire with two handguns. Two Penske employees, Van Springer and Roberto Gonzales, and a customer, Jaider Marulanda, were killed in the shooting spree. Two other employees, Joshua Holbrook and Zach Werner, were critically injured. Werner is still undergoing treatment at an area hospital and Holbrook was paralyzed, according to assistant district attorney Jesse Evans.
Warren is being held without bond at the Cobb County jail on murder and aggravated assault charges.
An arraignment hearing is scheduled for July 19.
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
