Leonard Ware
Courtesy of WCSO
Jury selection for the murder trial of the 34-year-old Ypsilanti Township man accused of shooting a co-worker to death last fall will likely begin Sept. 9.
Leonard Ware appeared Monday for a final pretrial hearing in the Washtenaw County Trial Court where his attorney, Jeff Taylor, said that while both the prosecution and defense are still waiting on DNA evidence from the lab, Ware wanted to proceed to trial.
A pretrial hearing date of Sept. 4 was set, but will only happen if attorneys need it pending DNA-related lab results.
Judge Darlene O’Brien said jury selection would take place Sept. 9 with testimony beginning Sept. 10.
Ware is charged with open murder, carrying a concealed weapon, being a felon in possession of a firearm and being in possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
He is accused of shooting and killing Bhagavan Allen, 29, in the middle of Ypsilanti's Grove Street in October 2012. The incident between the two men began with an argument at Marsh Plating Co., where Ware was Allen’s supervisor.
Ware faces spending the rest of his life behind bars if convicted. He is being held without bond in the Washtenaw County Jail.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.