Linn County murder trial for Coralville man delayed until Monday

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Linn County jury was selected late Thursday in the first-degree murder trial of Dimione Walker, who is charged with killing a man April 10 inside the Taboo Nightclub & Lounge.

Opening statements were expected to begin Thursday, but 6th Judicial District Judge Andrew Chappell had to take up a matter with the defense and prosecution, so he decided to delay statements until 9 a.m. Monday. The courthouse is closed for Veterans Day on Friday.

Jury selection, which started Tuesday, took longer than anticipated because several potential jurors had knowledge of the case through news coverage or possibly knew someone at the club that night. Two days were spent doing individually questioning of about 25 on the panel.

The trial is expected to last all week.

Walker, 29, of Coralville, is accused of fatally shooting Michael Valentine, 25, at the downtown Cedar Rapids club. Another man, Timothy Rush, 32, of Cedar Rapids, is charged with killing Nicole Owens, 35, and Marvin L. Cox, 31. Ten people were also injured in the shooting.

Walker is charged with first-degree murder, going armed with intent and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Walker plans to claim self-defense or in defense of others at trial.

Owens — Rush’s girlfriend and mother of his 1-year-old child — and Valentine were at the club that night celebrating a birthday of a mutual friend, La’Tazia Mac. Mac told The Gazette after Rush was arrested that she had known Valentine since the eighth grade and Owens most of her life.

According to a motion filed last month by Walker’s lawyers, there may have been previous shooting incidents between Walker and Valentine. A judge, in an order leading up to the trial, did allow the defense to subpoena police reports about a March shooting outside Spare Time Entertainment Center. According to the motion, the incident involved Walker and Valentine.

A trial for Rush is set for March 28. He is charged with two counts of second-degree murder; two counts of willful injury causing serious injury; two counts of reckless use of a firearm causing serious injury; three counts of willful injury causing bodily injury; three counts of reckless use of a firearm causing bodily injury; one count of intimidation with a dangerous weapon; and one count of possession of a firearm as a felon.

Gazette reporter Trish Mehaffey will provide live coverage of the trial from the courtroom when testimony begins.

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