Kavanagh murder trial re-set for March

Posted 11/7/22

The trial for Shawn M. Kavanagh, the Bellflower man accused of triple murder in 2014, has been rescheduled for two weeks in March, with jury selection beginning a week before.

Kavanagh has spent …

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Kavanagh murder trial re-set for March

Posted

The trial for Shawn M. Kavanagh, the Bellflower man accused of triple murder in 2014, has been rescheduled for two weeks in March, with jury selection beginning a week before.

Kavanagh has spent almost nine years in county jails awaiting a trial that has been postponed numerous times. His most recent trial date had been set for early November, but was canceled due to the death of his lead attorney’s son.

Kavanagh’s trial will be held in St. Charles County and is being overseen by St. Charles Judge Rebeca Navarro-McKelvey. Last week, the judge ordered that Kavanagh’s new trial date will begin with jury selection on March 6, with presentation of evidence to begin on March 13.

Attorneys on the case have previously expressed that they expect jury selection to require multiple days of screening hundreds of candidates in order to filter out enough unbiased jurors and alternates to sit for the trial. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case, while public defenders representing Kavanagh have indicated they intend to argue for the jury to spare his life if they convict him.

Kavanagh is charged with three counts of first-degree murder after being arrested for the killing of Tara Lynn Fifer, 22, of Montgomery City, Lexy Vandiver, 29, and her son, Mason Vandiver, 7, both of Jonesburg. He is also charged with first-degree domestic assault against Jessica N. Powell; along with four counts of armed criminal action and one count of burglary.

Kavanagh’s November trial date was canceled after the court was informed that lead defense attorney David Kenyon’s adult son was struck and killed by a vehicle in August. A co-counsel wrote to the court that Kenyon has since been struggling with the grief of that loss, and has not been able to adequately prepare for his duty to lead the defense in a death penalty trial.

Last week, Judge Navarro-McKelvey held a video hearing to consult with attorneys on both sides and set a new trial date. Two family members of the victims also attended the hearing, according to court records.

Kavanagh’s trial dates have been postponed numerous times over the last five years, most often because of difficulties within the specialized public defender office representing him in the death penalty case, but also because a jury screening requiring hundreds of juror candidates couldn’t be safely held during the COVID pandemic.

Shawn Kavanagh, Murder, Trial

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