Six years after Scott Deem died battling a shopping center fire on the Northwest Side, the man accused of arson, is finally expected to go to trial later this year.
The case against Emond Johnson, 44, has been tied up in pretrial proceedings for nearly six years. He faces charges of murder and arson resulting in death.
Johnson appeared in court Wednesday for a hearing to determine when the trial could begin. One of his attorneys, J. Charles Bunk, suggested Sept. 18 or Oct. 10. Prosecutors said they needed to talk with witnesses to know if those dates worked for them.Investigators say Johnson was behind on lease payments on his gym in Ingram Square, a shopping mall on the Northwest Side, and had other debts, prompting him to set the building on fire on May 18, 2017.
The delay in going to trial was lengthened by the COVID-19 pandemic, which slowed the courts and postponed even high-profile criminal cases. Before the pandemic, Johnson’s attorneys attempted to have the trial moved, arguing that extensive publicity had made a fair trial impossible in Bexar County. A judge denied that motion in 2019.
During Wednesday’s hearing, prosecutors said they had already turned over all evidence to Johnson’s defense attorneys. Bunk said seven months would be an adequate amount of time to review all the material and prepare Johnson’s defense. State District Judge Kristina Escalona asked Johnson at the end of the hearing if he understood what was going on.
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