Prosecution rests in murder trial

February 11, 2009 12:02 pm

— NORWICH _ The prosecution in the George Ford. Jr. murder trial rested Wednesday morning and defense attorney Randel Scharf of Cooperstown immediately asked the judge to dismiss the indictment against his client.
Scharf said the prosecution had not proven intent in its case.
Presiding Judge Joseph F. Cawley of Broome County denied the request and stipulated that the defense in the case would begin at 9 a.m. Friday. The trial was adjourned until then.
Ford, 43, is accused of deliberately running down Shyanne Somers, a 12-year-old South Otselic girl, who'd come to his house late on July 7, 2007, to baby-sit.
Soon after Shyanne died, Ford was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment. Only after police learned that his truck was equipped with GPS and that its log contradicted Ford's account of driving the girl home was he charged with murder, police have said.
Chenango County Sheriff Thomas Loughren, who interviewed Ford on July 8, 2007, the day he was arrested, testified Tuesday that Ford had told his officers that he accidentally ran over the girl at about midnight but had not driven her to the hospital for hours.
Also testifying Wednesday was Stephen Jogush of the state police forensics lab in Buffalo. He said tests on Ford’s blood confirmed the presence of cocaine.