Five defendants allegedly involved in last year’s murder of 26-year-old Jahda Martin of Pittsfield will be heading to trial in late 2011 or early 2012, according to proceedings in Berkshire Superior Court held on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office also received DNA reports that allegedly prove the victim’s blood was found in one of two vehicles police processed for evidence in the case. On Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Gregory Barry said the DA’s office had just received the DNA reports and hadn’t yet gone through them to determine which vehicle Martin’s blood was found in.
Three defendants are being tried together under joint venture, meaning they can be considered equally culpable for Martin’s death. John C. "Jay" Spratling, 27, of Pittsfield, Allen McGraw, 31, of Kingston, N.Y., and Terrance J. Brown, 27, of Springfield, are all charged with murder and assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and intimidation of a witness.
A fourth man, Trevor L. "Jamaican Jay" Pryce, 29, of North Adams, is facing the same charges as the others, but is being tried separately.
Martin was stabbed to death March 6, 2010, in the Burger King parking lot across from the former Club Groove on Wendell Avenue Extension in Pittsfield. He was leaving the club when he was attacked by several men who then fled in cars, according to the police report.
The victim later died from his injuries at Berkshire Medical Center.
Witnesses allegedly told police that Brown had a knife and appeared to be stabbing the victim. He and the other defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A fifth person, Casey Ivery, 32, of Pittsfield, was also in court Wednesday. Ivery is charged as an accessory to the crime.
Authorities alleged she cleaned one of the getaway vehicles, a rented red Chevrolet Traverse, after the stabbing. Another vehicle, a brown Chevrolet Malibu, was also processed for evidence by police.
At least one attorney in the case, Harry Miles, who is representing Spratling, may file a motion to set aside his client’s indictment based on evidence issues. Miles did not immediately return a call for comment and it was unclear what the issues were.
All five defendants will have a pretrial conference Oct. 11, followed by their trials, which are tentatively set for either the November 2011 or January 2012 criminal court terms.
A sixth person, Crystal Gonzalez, 22, of Springfield, was arrested as an accessory to the murder last March, but was not indicted in the case.
No alleged motive has been given in the murder of Martin, a gifted athlete who had seemingly overcome a difficult childhood.
Martin grew up in the Bronx, N.Y., and was in foster care for much of his youth. In 2000, he left Berkshire Farm, a child welfare agency with a residential program, in Canaan, N.Y., to attend Lee High School and was being fostered by Douglas and Linda Ackerman during that time.
Martin was a standout basketball player at Lee High School and also played in college before returning to the Berkshires without graduating. He eventually drifted into the local drug trade, according to police and prosecutors.
