Like Jeffery Conrad’s first trial in Summit County for the stabbing death of his ex-girlfriend, his second trial began Monday morning with major drama.
Conrad, upset with how his attorney, Job Perry, was handling his defense, announced that he again did not want to be present for his trial — and didn’t want Perry to represent him.
Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Paul Gallagher granted Conrad’s request and Conrad returned to the Summit County Jail. After talking with Perry and prosecutors, though, Gallagher changed his mind and asked that Conrad be brought back to the courthouse.
Gallagher told Conrad he was going to allow Perry to represent him, even though Conrad didn’t want this. He said it was up to Conrad whether he wanted to be there.
Conrad initially said he wanted to be present, but then let loose with a barrage of profanity and racial slurs directed at Perry and the court.
“F*** you!” Conrad shouted. “I don’t want to be here!”
Sheriff’s deputies led Conrad, dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit with his hands and legs shackled, back to jail again.
Conrad, 45, already convicted of the 2014 stabbing death of his ex-girlfriend, Amanda Russell, is now on trial for the stabbing of another jail inmate.
Both Conrad and Don Hicks, his attorney at the time, were absent from Conrad’s first trial. Conrad was convicted and will be sentenced for the murder after the jail stabbing trial.
Deputies say Conrad stabbed another inmate, Dennis McClelland, with a sharpened plunger handle Nov. 11, 2014, causing lacerations to McClelland’s head. Conrad is charged with attempted murder and felonious assault. He was awaiting trial at the time for Russell’s death.
At the start of his trial Monday morning, Conrad got upset when he learned Perry didn’t plan to have all 25 of the inmates who were in his jail pod at the time of the stabbing testify. He also said he thought Perry should put a mental health professional who spoke with McClelland and a blood-splatter expert on the stand. Perry said he planned to call the witnesses who were relevant to the defense.
“You’re fired!” Conrad said to Perry, arguing that this amounted to “ineffective assistance of counsel.”
When Conrad returned to court after being brought back to the jail, Gallagher explained that he had changed his position and was going to have Perry continue to represent him in the trial.
Conrad said he had serious concerns about this and that he thought it was a violation of his rights.
“I would like my rights,” he said. “You are not protecting my rights!”
After Conrad returned to the jail for a second time, jury selection began. Gallagher told the prospective jurors that Conrad wouldn’t be in court for the trial, but that this shouldn’t be held against him. Perry sat by himself at the defense table.
The trial will resume Tuesday morning and is expected to last through Thursday afternoon or Friday morning.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @swarsmithabj and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/swarsmith.