Two men accused of killing a West Virginia University student and a Masontown man accused of shooting another man in the face are among the 79 indictments returned by the June 2020 Monongalia County grand jury.
The county traditionally holds three terms of the grand jury a year in January, May and September. However, the May grand jury was moved to June because of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
All three 2019 grand jury sessions returned more than 100 indictments as did the January 2020 grand jury, which came back with 112 true bills.
Prosecutor Perri DeChristopher previously said her office would be more selective with the cases it presented to the June grand jury because of the term’s shorter length and because the pandemic stalled previous cases, which still need resolved.
An indictment is a required step in the prosecution of felonies and is not proof of guilt.
Terrell Linear, 21 and Shaundarius Reeder, 20, both of Fairmont, were indicted for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The two are accused of shooting WVU student Eric Smith, 21, of Clementon, N.J., on Feb. 28 inside an apartment building at College Park.
It was previously reported that officers found Smith dead in the hallway when they arrived.
Linear told police he entered the building, pounded on multiple apartment doors so people could witness him shooting and killing the victim, then shot Smith multiple times when he opened the door, according to a criminal complaint.
Both men are being held in North Central Regional Jail without bond.
William Shifflett, 73, was also indicted by the grand jury on charges of malicious assault, attempted first-degree murder and two counts of wanton endangerment involving a firearm.
His alleged crimes happened May 3.
The victim said he was parked with his juvenile son waiting for someone and when he got out of his vehicle, Shifflett pulled up beside him and shot him in the face with a pistol, according to Monongalia County Sheriff Perry Palmer.
The victim got back in his car and drove off, Palmer said. Shifflett chased him at a “high rate of speed” and fired at least one more round that hit the victim’s vehicle. Shifflett then crashed his vehicle. The victim stopped in a parking lot and waited for police.
Shifflett pulled into the parking lot while deputies were there and was arrested, Palmer said.
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