A trial began Friday for Damartez Thruston, who is facing a murder charge in connection with the 2019 shooting death of Kevin White at a residence on West Eighth Street. The prosecution and defense counsel presented sharply conflicting narratives during their opening remarks, offering jurors a preview of the evidence and testimony expected over the coming week.
Thruston, now 24, was indicted in May 2019 and arrested later that year in Louisville. His half-brother, Talen Johnson, also 24, was initially charged with murder and first-degree burglary in the same case. Johnson reached a plea deal in January, reducing his charges and requiring him to testify against Thruston, and is scheduled for final sentencing in May.
Opening statements in Thruston’s case were delivered Friday morning in Daviess Circuit Court following a full day of jury selection Thursday. Though the attorneys will attempt to back up their statements with experts and witnesses throughout the trial, the statements themselves can not be considered evidence by the jury.
(Editor’s note: The prosecution gave its opening statement in full first, followed by the defense counsel.)
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Compton told jurors the case hinges on video surveillance, expert analysis, and testimony from co-defendant Johnson.
He opened the trial by showing a short clip of video footage from March 12, 2019. Compton said Thruston initially walked up to 1017 West Eighth Street — described as a gambling house where people played dice and cards — supposedly to buy marijuana. But, Compton said, “That’s not what happened.”
“This person walking into the cover of darkness is Damartez Thruston — the man sitting right there. It’s hard to see in the video … but Mr. Thruston walks up to that porch at 1017, backs off, and then, in the course of five seconds, he runs back onto the porch and fires two shots into the window,” Compton said. “Kevin White was shot through the heart, and that’s how he died.”
Defense attorney Ramon McGee challenged the entire foundation of that account, urging jurors to focus on the limitations of the video and the credibility of the Commonwealth’s key witnesses.
“The question in this case is, and it always has been, what happened beyond the fenceline at 1017 West Eighth Street,” McGee said.
McGee said the surveillance video — while showing Thruston walking down the street — never depicts him carrying a gun, stepping onto the porch, or firing a weapon. He insisted that Thruston never made it to the front steps and had no firearm on him that night.
“You will not see him with a gun at any point on March 12 because he didn’t have one,” McGee said. “You won’t see him walk up on the porch, because he didn’t. He never made it there.”
McGee emphasized that while Thruston was on West Eighth Street that night, he was simply walking up to buy marijuana — a fact he said even Johnson confirmed during interviews.
McGee told the jury that 1017 West Eighth was not just a gambling house, but a known “trap house” — a place for drugs, weapons, and other illicit activities, he said. Thruston, then 18, had spent the day “being a teenager,” hanging out with friends, recording a dance video, and later trying to buy marijuana, McGee said.
The prosecution’s narrative includes Johnson’s testimony of Johnson. Compton said Johnson, who was driving the white Chevrolet Impala captured on camera, would testify that Thruston exited the vehicle, walked toward the porch, and returned after the shots were fired.
However, McGee said Johnson’s credibility is questionable, noting that his account changed over time and that he only began cooperating with authorities after securing a favorable plea agreement. Johnson ultimately pleaded guilty to facilitation to murder and second-degree burglary, receiving a recommended sentence of 12 years in prison.
“Talen took a deal in order to save himself from the prospect of facing a potential life sentence,” McGee said. “… In exchange for that statement, you’ll find that Mr. Johnson got the deal of a lifetime.”
McGee added that Johnson told prosecutors in a recent proffer that he never saw Thruston with a gun, never saw him on the porch, and didn’t see where the shots came from.
Compton also referenced statements from Latoshia Barrett, Johnson’s mother, who is expected to testify that Thruston was staying at her home at the time and that she saw him with a revolver the day of the shooting. Compton said Barrett is expected to testify that following the shooting, she heard Thruston say, “I think I hit somebody,” and saw him attempt to wash himself with bleach.
But McGee said Barrett’s account only surfaced six years after the incident — and only after she was facing revocation of her probation. He said Barrett, a convicted felon, was previously considered a suspect and only offered her statement to prosecutors in 2025, shortly before her son’s murder trial and her potential penalty for violating probation.
“She was looking at going to prison,” McGee said. “She wanted to get out of jail. She wanted to help her son avoid a conviction for murder at trial. And guess what? She calls the Commonwealth and says, ‘I have some valuable information to share with you.’”
The prosecution also played audio from a 911 call made by a witness across the street just after the shots were fired. The caller reported seeing a man exit a white Impala and shoot into a window before fleeing the scene. While the caller declined to identify himself, Compton said the voice belonged to Donald Lee, who died last year.
As part of their case, prosecutors also plan to present surveillance footage from multiple locations and forensic analysis, including gunshot residue testing on clothing recovered from Barrett’s home.
Compton acknowledged the murder weapon was never recovered and that Thruston’s fingerprints and DNA were not found on a Glock handgun retrieved from the scene — a weapon the state determined was not used in the homicide. However, a forensic analyst is expected to testify that residue consistent with gunfire was found on a hoodie linked to Thruston.
McGee dismissed the forensic evidence, stating the residue found could have come from another source or been transferred through contact. He said the state’s own expert would confirm that the presence of such material does not prove that the person fired a gun.
“We know on March 12, gunfire erupted,” McGee said. “We also know where that hoodie was found — in Latoshia Barrett’s house, along with items of clothing from Talen Johnson. (The forensic expert) will not tell you that Damartez Thruston was wearing that (hoodie) at the time — she won’t because she can’t.”
Compton acknowledged the lack of a recovered firearm and conceded that Thruston’s DNA and fingerprints were not found on a Glock recovered at the scene — which was determined not to be the murder weapon. But he pointed to gunshot residue testing that detected material consistent with firearm discharge on a jacket linked to Thruston.
At the conclusion of opening statements, Compton told jurors that despite gaps in evidence, the case would clearly show that Thruston was responsible for White’s death.
“After you’ve heard our closing arguments, you’re going to know Mr. Thruston walked up onto that porch, he pulled out a gun. Bam!” Compton shouted for emphasis. “He fired one shot. Bam! He fired a second shot. Kevin White died. It will be up to you all to hold him accountable.”
McGee urged the jury to see past speculation and hold the prosecution to its burden of proof.
“You’re not going to hear a single witness say that man ever had a gun in his hand or fired a shot — not any credible witness,” he said. “The only person whose statement has been consistent since March of 2019 is Damartez. He’s always said he was not guilty. And that’s because he’s not guilty.”
As the trial continues, jurors are expected to hear from more than 30 witnesses, including law enforcement officers, forensic experts, and civilians. Testimony is expected to last through at least Wednesday, though the proceedings could continue through the end of the week.
