Double-murder suspect Anthony Gaines appeared in Christian Circuit Court on Wednesday where his defense attorneys requested additional evidence and shell casing testing.
Gaines was arrested in connection to the shooting deaths of Kierra Wallace and George Gomez near Peach Street in 2021. He is charged with two counts of murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, tampering with physical evidence and four counts of wanton endangerment.
Gaines is represented by Brandi Jones and Michael Colman while Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys Greg Cortese and Mark Gilbert are prosecuting the case.
A firearm has yet to be found in connection to the case, but shell casings were recovered from the scene. Jones asked for the shell casings to be sent to a lab for examination which could reveal information relevant to the case.
Jones also requested access to prior case reports that may involve Gomez.
Cortese says examining the shell casings is not a problem, but the defense needs to find an expert to send the shell casings for testing and not rely on local law enforcement. Regarding other cases involving Gomez, Cortese says the defense can issue subpoenas.
However, Jones says if the shell casings are not submitted by a law agency, then a lab might not accept them for examination. She also that any information obtained through the examination would be useful because a firearm has yet to be recovered.
Circuit Judge Andrew Self ruled for the defense to work with law enforcement to identify a lab to perform the testing. Once a place is identified, Self says he will grant a motion to have the shell casings sent and returned following examination.
Gaines is set to reappear in court on April 9 and is still set to undergo mediation.