Another trial delay for Indiana man accused of fatal shooting in 2021

IOWA CITY — A judge Monday ruled to delay a murder trial for an Indiana man because prosecutors provided additional evidence to the defense only days before the trial was to begin Tuesday in Johnson County District Court.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Jason Besler said he would continue the trial for Renard Winfield Jr., 32, of Gary, Ind., which will make for a ninth trial date since Tommy Curry, 31, of Iowa City, was fatally shot April 28, 2021. Besler wanted to give the defense more time to review the evidence recently turned over.

  Buy Photo

During the hearing, Amy Kepes, Winfield’s lawyer, asked the judge to delay trial because they hadn’t been able to review the additional evidence to make sure they had already received it, as the prosecutors assured her. She didn’t think prosecutors were being misleading but needed to review all the materials to prepare the best defense for her client.

Assistant Johnson County Attorney Jeff Brunelle said a discrepancy in the evidence came about when prosecutors were going over their information with one of the police investigators on the case. The police had some evidence organized differently than the prosecutors, so they wanted to share the materials but didn’t think it was anything the defense didn’t already have.

Brunelle said they didn’t plan to use anything that hadn’t been turned over to the defense. The recent documents, disk and thumb drives had been noted in police reports the defense had, he said.

Brunelle said the prosecution was prepared to go to trial Tuesday, noting this will be a ninth trial date reset and a third time in which the prosecution has sent out subpoenas for witnesses to appear at trial.

Besler asked the defense and prosecution to discuss new dates for the trial that might work for both sides.

Winfield, charged with first-degree murder, is accused of allegedly luring Curry to his death by pretending to be a woman and setting up a “date” with Curry on April 28, 2021.

According to a criminal complaint, police responded about 8 p.m. to multiple 911 calls at the Meadow Lark Apartment Complex, 2400 Lakeside Dr., on April 28. Curry was found inside his vehicle, and police said he had been shot numerous times.

Curry later died of his injuries.

Witnesses told police they saw a man approach Curry’s vehicle and start shooting, according to the complaint.

Investigators reviewed Curry’s cellphone and found he had been exchanging text messages with the same person since Jan. 23, 2021. The text messages showed Curry was going to meet the person, whom he believed was a woman and communicated with on a dating website. Curry planned to meet that person at the Meadow Lake Apartments on April 28.

Investigators used the phone number and associated dating website to lead them to Winfield, who they say was posing as a woman.

Police also found a video on Winfield’s phone of him in possession of a handgun, which is believed to be the same caliber as the gun used to shoot Curry, according to the complaint. The video also showed Winfield with ammunition that was found at the scene of the fatal shooting, and police obtained surveillance video that showed Winfield purchasing ammunition days before the incident.

Police also obtained additional surveillance footage that showed a white Dodge Journey driving away from the crime scene. That vehicle was registered to a relative of Winfield’s, police said.

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com