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Appeals court denies Damien Gilliams’ request to remove judge from case

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Fourth District Court of Appeal last Friday denied Damien Gilliams' request to have Circuit Court Judge Michael Linn removed from his criminal case, court records show. Gilliams, a former Sebastian City Councilmember convicted on charges of violation of the Sunshine Law and perjury, filed a motion on June 14 requesting Linn be removed from his case. Gilliams said he feared he did not receive a fair trial because of prejudice or bias from Linn, noting that Linn's wife previously worked at the state attorney's office. Gilliams and another former councilmember, Pamela Rapp Parris, were both convicted last month on charges stemming from an April 22, 2020 meeting described by prosecutors as illegal. Prosecutors said the ...

Murder trial of Michael Jones begins after five years

VERO BEACH — After more than five years since the June 2014 death of Diana Duve, and after three weeks of jury selection, the first-degree murder trial of accused killer Michael David Jones started Monday in Judge Dan Vaughn's courtroom. At the end of the day, prosecutors had called numerous witnesses to give testimony about Duve's disappearance, her on-and-off relationship with Jones, and the events leading up to the discovery of her body in the trunk of her Nissan Altima in a Melbourne parking lot. A key witness in the case will be Vero Beach police Cpl. Brad Kmetz, the lead detective on the missing person's case, which turned into a murder investigation. Chief Assistant State Attorney Tom Bakkedahl said ...

Jury selection begins in Jones’ murder case

VERO BEACH - Attorneys began in-depth questioning of prospective jurors today in the first-degree murder case of Michael David Jones, who is charged with the June 2014 death of his girlfriend, 26-year-old Diana Duve. People in the first batch of the jury pool who indicated on paper questionnaires that they had some knowledge of the case from the media or other outside sources were asked to elaborate on what they thought they knew. Chief Assistant State Attorney Tom Bakkedahl explained to each person that they must go into the trial presuming that Jones is innocent, as is required under the law, and judge the state’s case only by the evidence and testimony presented in court. Questioning the jury pool for ...