A man beaten to death with a hammer at a South Jersey truck stop earlier this month was apparently sitting in a massage chair with his shoes off when he was attacked, prosecutors revealed in court Monday afternoon. Marchello D. Williams, 40, of Browns Mills, told police he acted in self-defense when he repeatedly struck Tysheem Porter, 47, of Newark, Delaware, on May 6 at the Flying J truck .
WORCESTER - With COVID-19 leading to a backlog in court cases across the state, local judges and lawyers are grappling with a variety of issues as they consider whether they can try and conduct murder trials this spring.
Concerns about safety, jurors skipping service and the possibility of participants having to wear masks were among potential pitfalls raised Monday as one local judge probed the topic.
Worcester Superior Court Judge Daniel M. Wrenn is calling dozens of pending murder cases in for status hearings this week, telling lawyers he’s working on identifying which cases should be prioritized for possible trials this spring.