Suspects’ cases severed in Parkersburg murder trial

PARKERSBURG – The trial of the two men charged with the murder of a Parkersburg man in May 2022 from an alleged drug deal and robbery that turned into a shooting will now proceed as two separate cases.

Justin Keel (also known as George Justin Smith), 22, of Columbus, and Donavon Tyler McCune, 24, of Parkersburg, were indicted in September 2022 on charges of murder, first-degree robbery, presentation of a firearm during the commission of a felony, wanton endangerment with a firearm and conspiracy to commit a felony in the death of Terrance Mills Jr. (also known as T.J.).

The two were set to go to trial on Monday, Feb. 5.

A woman involved in the incident, Dezaray Lynn Roberts of Vienna, pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery in December 2022 as part of a plea agreement.

In court documents, Roberts is said to have set up a drug purchase on May 17, 2022, with Mills and the two men with the intent of robbing him and splitting the proceeds. However, during the meeting Mills was shot and killed by one of the men and then all three of them fled the scene in her 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

During a hearing earlier this week, Wood County Circuit Judge Jason Wharton severed the cases and the two men will now be tried separately with Keel expected to be the one to go to trial on Monday.

McCune's attorney, Courtney Craig, made the motion to sever based on statements from an individual McCune is incarcerated with based on conversations the two had where McCune said Keel as the one who pulled the trigger and McCune did not shoot as well as other concerns about how a jury would view the connection between the two defendants in what they might decide.

Craig did not believe specific jury instructions would be enough to deal with their concerns about his client being implicated in a serious crime.

"You can't undo the damage to the defendant that has been implicated," he said. "That can't be undone in front of a jury."

Keel's attorney, J. Morgan Leach, said he did not join in the motion to sever and said he was not going to take a position on it. Leach moved to exclude prior bad acts Keel has done during trial and Wharton granted it.

Wharton ruled that if any plea agreements were to be worked out, the court would need them by noon today.

The trial will start on Monday with the sitting of a jury and possible opening arguments and more. They will not convene on Tuesday as Wharton has another case he has to preside over. The trial will reconvene on Wednesday and finish out the week.

McCune's trial will be scheduled for a later date.

Keel and McCune are currently in custody at the North Central Regional Jail.