The jury trial for Damartez Thruston, the person charged with murder for a 2019 shooting, has been pushed back 3 months.
Assistant to the Commonwealth Attorney Brian Quattrocchi has returned to the case and requested more time to refresh on the subject matter, he said during a hearing on Thursday.
Judge Joe Castlen approved the motion, and a new trial start date was set for October 22, 2024. Castlen is filling in for Judge Jay Wethington, who is on medical leave. The trial was initially set to start on July 10.
Thruston, now 24, was arrested in Louisville in October 2019 after being indicted for murder by a Daviess County Grand Jury in May 2019. He was charged alongside an additional suspect, Talen Johnson, for the shooting homicide of Kevin D. White in the 1000 block of West 8th Street on March 12, 2019.
Quattrocchi stepped away from the Commonwealth Attorney’s office about 3 years ago and recently returned. He noted that Commonwealth Attorney Mike Van Meter appointed him back to the case upon his return.
“It’s a lot to review. There’s a ton of evidence in this case that people will testify to or the jury will see. It’s going to take some time for me to get back [up to speed], and that’s why we are asking for a continuance today,” Quattrocchi said.
Ramon McGee, Thurston’s defense attorney, also supported the October 22 trial date. McGee said that extenuating circumstances in the case could also be grounds for the continuance, though he did not specify what those were.
“I think it was some additional time we had ultimately to make what we think would be a fair recommendation for the court. And there’s some additional evidence that we’ve asked the Commonwealth Attorney’s office to investigate in the interim,” McGee said.
Though Castlen initially asked how White’s family felt about the continuance, he admitted he leaned toward continuing the trial without the family’s opinion.
“Given the fact that you just came back, I’m compelled to continue this [trial] regardless of what their thoughts may be,” Castlen said.
Quattrocchi said that he is also considering mediation. With the extra time before a trial, he may approach the court again if a deal is reached.
The next court date for the case is July 10.
