Murder trial delayed, key witness no-shows in court

*Disclaimer: All criminal court proceedings in the U.S. maintain a presumption of innocence, meaning the names attached to the alleged crimes in the following article are innocent until proven otherwise beyond a reasonable doubt.

COLUMBUS - The trial for the murder of county resident Keaton Hancock is being delayed after a key witness failed to appear in court on the trial's first day on Jan. 23. 

The County Court spent much of the prior day selecting residents to populate the jury that would make the ultimate decision in the case of the State V. Jose "Joey" Casanova. Casanova, Hancock's alleged killer in 2021, was introduced to the court on Jan. 22 prior to the jury being selected. The incident in 2021 was part of a double murder on Sept. 10 that resulted in the deaths of Hancock and Jonathon Segura of Eagle Lake.

Prosecutors say that the Hancock killing was in retaliation to the the Segura killing. According to police, both murders were a result of deadly conduct with firearms during drive-by shootings. Residents of Eagle Lake have been noted as hearing shots ring out from an alleged automatic rifle during the shootings. 

Casanova was included in a rash of warrants secured and served by the Eagle Lake Police Department in 2021. The initial warrant served was for illegal possession of a firearm by a felon.

Now, several years later, the connection between Casanova and the murder of Hancock is what prosecutors will be hoping to prove in court. However, the criminal case initially scheduled on Jan. 23 will have to be pushed back after the court issued a motion of continuance to delay the trial to an undetermined date in the future. 
According to officials, a key witness scheduled to appear in court did not do so on the first day of the trial. Judge William D. Old III issued a writ of attachment, allowing law enforcement to search for and apprehend the subject to bring them before the court.

Once the witness is located, the trial will be reintroduced to the docket and the prosecutors will continue to make their case to the jury. The Citizen will provide updates as the situation unfolds.