"Kanawha County Sniper" Trial Delayed

{West Virginia}...Tuesday, Shawn Lester's Public Defender George Castelle told Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Duke Bloom he's received so many documents from the prosecutor's office it's not physically possible to begin Lester's trial on October 26th. Castelle said the 75-thousand pages are filled with lots of information that would be helpful, if not necessary, to the defense of the case. Kanawha County prosecutors did not object to moving the trial to March 5, 2012, and Judge Bloom granted the continuation, saying, after considering the amount of documents, witnesses and evidence involved in the case, it will likely take more time to conduct the trial than he originally thought. The one sticking point the two sides had Tuesday was the the use of the term "sniper" in the questionnaire for potential jurors. Castelle argued it's what the case has been called from the beginning and that it should be referred to as such, but Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Don Morris argued against any mention of "sniper" in the questionnaire. Judge Bloom not only banned the word "sniper" in the questionnaire but also made it clear to both sides that no one is to refer to the case as the "sniper" case,” including witnesses, law enforcement and lawyers, anyone who goes before the jury. Shawn Lester remains in the South Central Regional Jail without bail.