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Gray hearing reset for June
A May 5 pre-trial hearing for the man charged with the murder of Sheryl Ann "Sherri" Warner was continued until June 4.
Death Row inmate Ricky Javon Gray, 30, was scheduled to make an appearance in Culpeper Circuit Court at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, but remained in the Sussex County prison.
Commonwealth's Attorney Gary Close said a last-minute agreement with attorneys Joseph Flood and James Connell of the Capitol Defenders Office was made to postpone the hearing. He did not comment the reason for the delay.
Gray, who is on death row for the murders of two Richmond families, was charged with the Warner murder in 2006. He faces the charge of capital murder as well as arson, possession of a firearm after being convicted of a felony, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and abduction for Warner’s death.
Warner was found shot and hanged by an electrical cord in the basement of her Reva home, which had been set on fire, on Dec. 18, 2005.
In an evidence hearing held on Feb. 4, several witnesses were called to testify in preparation for Gray's Sept. 29 trial. Timothy Thomas, a friend of Gray's ex-girlfriend Ashley Baskerville, claimed that Baskerville told him that she was with Gray during the Warner murder and mentioned key details that only a person present at the crime would know.
In a hearing held on March 12, Judge John Cullen ruled Thomas' testimony inadmissible, denying a motion by the commonwealth to admit hearsay evidence. After that hearing, Close said he would continue to move forward with the case.
"We knew going into this that this was a difficult argument to make," said Close. "We will continue to move forward and obviously at every juncture, think about where we are and what evidence we have."
Gray's trial is still on the books for Sept. 29 through Oct. 10. He is expected back in court on Wednesday, June 4 at 1:00 p.m.
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