Marion County murder trial with juvenile accomplice postponed till summer

May 13—FAIRMONT — The murder trial of a man accused of killing another man with a gunshot to the head will be postponed to the next court term. W

hat makes the case notable is the presence of a juvenile accomplice.

The state accused Zeighshawn Jarelle Meade, 18, of robbery, murder and conspiracy through an indictment filed Oct. 2, 2023. According to court records, Meade and three other men arranged for Clayton Peck and Leo Ginty to deliver a felony amount of marijuana to an apartment complex in Fairmont on March 23, 2023. Present with Meade was Ille Williams, Jayden Cheriza and Jermaine Clay.

"During this drug delivery Illes Williams mortally wounded Clayton Peck by shooting him in the head with a handgun," a search warrant filed May 18, 2023 states. "Mr. Peck died as a result of the injury."

The criminal complaint states officers responded to the shooting and found Peck deceased with a gunshot to the head. A nine-millimeter bullet casing was found nearby as was a single black and white Nike shoe. Police found the matching shoe in Williams' apartment as well as a 9mm handgun. After obtaining a search warrant, police found a shoebox matching the shoes at Meade's house.

Leo Ginty, Peck's associate, was a witness to Peck's murder. In the search warrant, Ginty is said to have stated, "the victim had contacted the individual who shot him directly prior to the murder in reference to the drug deal."

After searching Peck's phone, investigators found messages indicating Meade arranged the drug deal with Peck. A search warrant for phone records states Meade, Williams, Cheriza and Clay used Snapchat to plan how they would escape arrest for felony drug transaction and murder.

Meade's trial has already had one continuance. Earlier this year in January, Meade and his attorney made a motion to move the trial from the winter term of court to the spring. The state, under the guidance of Marion County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Sean Murphy, did not object.

At one point, Meade's was considered to go on trial on April 24, however on April 16, Meade's attorney once more postponed the trial date. Meade waived his right to a speedy trial. Murphy did not object and the Court granted the motion.

Murphy said the trial date is tentatively set for July 17.