Murder case on docket
By TIM GULLA Ledger Staff Writer tim@gaffneyledger.com

Jury selection in the trial of a Cowpens man accused of a 2006 murder is likely to start this morning in Cherokee County.

Jeremy Richard Phillips, who was 28 at the time of his arrest last September, is one of three people accused in an Aug. 30 mobile home fire that killed Juan Roman inside an Oak Stone Road, Cowpens, mobile home.

Police claim Roman was beaten, robbed, and then killed in the fire that was set to his home.

Also charged are Jesse Curtis Willis, then 21, and Nakia Moss Gossett, then 28.

Trial was set to begin Monday but Phillips' defense attorney sought a delay because he had not yet received all of the information he had subpoenaed. Attorney Wade Weatherford III told the court that he wanted copies of Department of Social Services records that pertained to one of the witnesses that might be called to testify.

Most records were turned over Monday afternoon, and a hearing was held to determine if Weatherford also could obtain copies of a sealed file from the agency.

If the trial proceeds as expected today, the jury will be selected from 40 Cherokee County residents who qualified for jury service. Eight of the 48 county residents who reported for jury duty this week were either disqualified or excused from service.