CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Testimony in the trial of a Charleston man charged with murder began Wednesday in Kanawha County Circuit Court.
“We didn’t know what happened,” said Ross Hayes, 28, of Hedgesville, about the shooting death of his friend Bryan Rogers. “We heard sirens and all kinds of police down there.”
Hayes was the first witness prosecutors called to the stand Wednesday morning during the trial of Tremaine Jackson, 23, who is charged in the December 27, 2015 murder of Rogers, 29, of Ripley.
Police said Rogers collapsed inside the West Side Market and Deli on 7th Avenue in Charleston after being shot in the stomach at close range.
Prosecutors allege the shooting was over heroin.
Hayes said he was driving his brother’s car the day of the shooting with Rogers in the passenger seat and Roger’s cousin Jennifer Carney in the back seat. The three grew up together in Ripley. Hayes said they needed money for drugs, so they drove up to Corridor G then headed to the Little Page Apartments on the West Side for the drug deal. Both Hayes and Carney testified Rogers got out of the car, entered the apartment complex, but never returned.
Carney estimated Rogers was inside for about 20 minutes while her and Hayes waited for him inside the car at apartment’s parking lot.
“Drug dealers tend to take a long time sometimes,” she said. “I just thought he was having to wait.”
While they were in the parking lot, Carney said an unknown man approached their car.
“He asked if we were Bryan’s ride and Ross said ‘yeah’ and he said ‘I think he got shot,'” Carney said. Hayes testified a similar encounter, both describing the man as a tall, black male with dreads.
“The way he was staring at us, looking at us, trying to see who was in the car — he asked if we knew Bryan or we were with Bryan. I said ‘yes.’ He said, excuse my language, you might want to get the f*** out of here. I think Bryan just got shot,” Hayes said.
Carney said, after her and Hayes left the scene, she had no reason to believe her cousin was shot.
“I didn’t hear a gunshot so I kind of didn’t believe it. Why would I believe that he got shot? There’s no reason for that to happen,” she told prosecutors in court, holding back tears.
Police said Jackson was arrested after he got into an argument with Rogers over stolen heroin. Jackson allegedly pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot Rogers. He later died at CAMC General.
Prosecutors and police have had a difficult time getting witnesses to cooperate in the case.
Jerry Marbury was arrested on Summers Street. Arrest warrants were also issued for Jazmyn Mitchell and Keith Kennedy McCleod who goes by the name “Big Baby.”
Testimony will continue Thursday in Kanawha County Circuit Judge Charles King’s courtroom.