The Trial in the 2014 Papa John's Shooting Has Opened, and WEJB/NSU’s David in TN was There: Read His Exclusive Report!

 

War crime victim Gordon Schaffer, 22, was murdered by Darious Fitzpatrick on October 20, 2014
 

[N.S.: David in TN has followed this case since the beginning. Early on, the local media reported on it, but then they lost interest. But not David. He heroically drove back and forth between his Tennessee home and Columbia, on his own time and his own dime, covering hearing after hearing, where no “journalist” was to be found.]
 

By David in TN
Wed, Apr 11, 2018 12:19 a.m.

The trial of Darious Fitzpatrick for the murder of Gordon Schaeffer on the night of October 20, 2014, while Schaeffer was working alone at a Papa John's Pizza restaurant began on Monday. I was in the courtroom for Tuesday's session.

Business is done differently in Columbia, Tennessee than in Knoxville. The microphones are poor and it’s hard to hear what the lawyers and witnesses are saying. In the Knoxville courtroom, a screen was in the left-hand corner, so everyone in the courtroom could see exhibits, videos, and photos. In Columbia, there is a flat screen pointed at the jury. Spectators (like me) can't see anything. A member of the DA's office operates it before a small computer screen. If you sit on that side of the courtroom, you can barely see it sometimes.

I couldn't see the surveillance video of the shooting at all.

The usual way to start the prosecution case is to have a witness give some evidence who can't be cross-examined effectively. Today, the prosecutors started with a witness who didn't see or hear anything. On cross, the defense attorney asked, "Did you see Darious Fitzpatrick that night?" The witness answered, "No." The defense had no further questions and there was no re-direct.

As the day continued, several police witnesses outlined the case. The audience could see almost none of this and the poor microphones made it hard to follow. The second witness was Gordon Schaeffer's manager, who called him that night, just as the robbery occurred. "Holy shit, I'm being robbed," Schaeffer said. The manager heard a black male voice and immediately called 911. The 911 operator, instead of reacting, kept asking the manager stupid questions.

When the prosecution asked the manager what kind of employee "Gordo" was, the defense objected. The Judge sent the jury out of the room and conferred with both sides at the bench. He then ruled you can't say what a good guy Gordon Schaeffer was during the guilt phase.

There was only some $75 in the cash register. After handing it over, Gordon Schaeffer was shot. He was still alive when the police arrived, and was taken to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, where he was pronounced dead.

Remember the hearing I attended a year ago? This Judge saw me sitting in the courtroom and asked me, "What is your business here?" Taken aback, I said I was a spectator.

One of the police officers recognized Darious Fitzpatrick from the video and went to his residence. The murder weapon was found under a mattress in Fitzpatrick's bedroom. A search warrant was obtained before taking the weapon.

The Columbia Daily Herald’s version.
 



War criminal Darious Fitzpatrick, though only 17 at the time of his war crime in 2014, was already a violent career criminal with several felony convictions as a juvenile; his example is spurring calls for juvenile justice reform in Tennessee. I did not refer to Fitzpatrick as a "suspected war criminal," because he has confessed that he shot to kill Gordon Schaffer, even though it took him several shots to hit his victim.
 

[Previously, at WEJB/NSU, on this racist atrocity:

“War Crime Follow-Up: The Papa John’s Murder in Columbia, Tennessee”;

“Juveniles Tried as Adults for Murder Not Unusual in Maury County, TN”;

“Exclusive Update on the Papa John’s Murder of Gordon Schaeffer”;

“Papa John's CEO Attends Funeral of Employee Shot Dead by Robbers While Working at the Popular Pizza Chain - and Pays for his Service and Medical Expenses”;

“WEJB/NSU Exclusive: Update on the Papa John’s Murder of Gordon Schaffer; are Tennessee Officials Dragging Their Feet, in Order to Quietly Thwart Justice, in the Case of Suspect Darious Fitzpatrick?” [Racist, black court worker];

“Update on the Racist, ‘Papa John’s’ Murder of Gordon Schaffer”;

“The Hate Crime ‘Papa John’s’ Murder of Gordon Schaffer: A Status Update”;

“Third Suspect Arrested in 2014 Papa John’s Murder Racist Hate Crime”;

“Things are Moving (Finally!) in the Racist Papa John’s Murder of White Counter Clerk, Gordon Shaffer (Update)”;

“Remember the Papa John’s Murder of Gordon Schaffer in Columbia, Tennessee? WEJB/NSU’s David in TN is Still on the Case! (Update)”;

“Judge to Observer in Empty Courtroom: ‘Do you have any business?’: Racist MSM Continue to Maintain News Blackout of the Hate Crime Murder of Papa John’s Clerk Gordon Schaffer, but WEJB/NSU’s Heroic David in TN Continues to Bear Witness!”;

“Delay, Delay, Delay: Doesn’t Anyone Care Any More about Serving Justice? (The Papa John’s Murder)”;

“Shhh! ‘The reason behind the [five black-on-white serial] killings remains a mystery’—‘Comments have been disabled for this story’”;

“Kansas City, MO, and Columbia, TN: Of Racial Murders and News Blackouts.”;

“Something’s Rotten in Tennessee: Prosecutor Shows No Interest in Trying Papa John’s Murder Case, Despite Shooter’s Confession and Videotape of Crime”; and

“White Lives Just Don’t Matter; Remember the Papa John’s Murder? Well, David in TN Never Forgot about It.”]