The murder trial of James Stuart, a Deptford police officer accused of shooting his friend in the head, begins this week. Before proceedings begin, here's what you need to know. Watch video
WOODBURY-- Jury selection for the trial of James Stuart, the Deptford Township police officer charged with murder after his friend was shot in his home in January 2013, will begin Wednesday.
The case has spent more than two years making its way to trial.
John Eastlack, the attorney defending Stuart in court, said on Friday that he expected the proceedings to take most of the month of September. Before the trial begins, here's an overview of the case so far.
That night
The shooting occurred in the early morning hours of Jan. 5, 2013, at Stuart's Stanford Road home. Stuart, then 29 years old, called a side phone line to the Gloucester County Communications Center to report that David Compton, 27, had been shot. His description of the circumstances was vague, but in the call -- made on a line usually reserved for first responders contacting county dispatchers -- he said Compton had been playing with his service weapon when the gun discharged.
"We had a, a, a, man, he was, ah, playing with a weapon, it was loaded and ah he, there was a shot fired," Stuart can be heard saying in a recording of the call.
"It was loaded. There was a shot fired. I don't know how it happened."
Compton died six days later on Jan. 11, having been taken off life support after doctors told his family he would not recover from his injuries. Stuart was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Stuart's use of the sideline briefly confused dispatchers and administrators, who thought the call may have been a practical joke by off-duty workers.
"I just want to make sure before I put it out over the radio that the guys weren't messing around and saying, he said that his friend shot himself in the cheek," Patricia Warlow, a police dispatcher, says to Sgt. Edward Kiermeier on the recording.
"What?" asks Kiermeier.
RELATED: Deptford cop transcript: Compton 'played with' officer's loaded weapon before shooting
"Yeah...before I put it out on the radio I just wanted to make sure it wasn't your guys messing around," Warlow says. "I mean, I don't know if this shift does it but I know the other shifts will like mess around late in the morning..."
A follow-up investigation by the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office ended in a ruling that there was no evidence of "widespread abuse" of phone systems by employees.
Their history
Compton and Stuart had known each other for years at the time of the shooting, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported in 2013, and first became friends in high school. A man who knew them both as teenagers described their crowd as "nerds who followed the rules." Compton was working as a mechanical engineer and living in South Philadelphia when he died.
The two had been drinking the night of the shooting, according to Stuart's lawyer. Eastlack said during pre-trial hearings in January that Stuart had a blood alcohol level of .19, and the Inquirer reported that the two friends had spent part of the night at Lazy Lanigan's, a since-shuttered bar in Washington Township. The same report quoted Compton's parents as saying their son had no interest in guns.
Compton's parents, who live in Florida, referred to Stuart's call for help as "uncaring" and "dispassionate" after he pleaded not guilty to all charges in late 2013. His father, Bill Compton, called Stuart a "so-called friend," and said he thought the defendant's tone during the phone call indicated that the shooting was no accident.
The trial
Gloucester County Assistant Prosecutor Dana Anton said in fall of 2013 that the state "intends to prove that Stuart aimed a firearm at David Compton and shot him." Stuart, free on $250,000 bail, still lives in Deptford, though he no longer lives in the house where the shooting occurred, his lawyer said. He has been on unpaid leave from the police department since charges were first filed against him. In January, he rejected a plea deal that would have landed him 26 years in prison.
Eastlack did not share any details about his plans for the defense, but said that he expects the trial to take several weeks.
"It's going to take some time to pick a jury, especially for this type of case," Eastlack said Friday. "I expect [the trial] will encompass the month of September."
Eastlack also said that the sheer number of witnesses would probably lengthen the trial, although he declined to discuss the possibility of who would be called to testify.
"That's really up to the prosecution," he said. "I won't presume to know."
Anton did not return a request for comment.
Bill and Maureen Compton will travel from their home in Florida for the trial. The couple issued a statement on Friday through their attorney, Dan Gee.
"They've been anxiously awaiting the start of this trial for the past 2 1/2 years," said Gee. "They have the utmost confidence in the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, and they look forward to justice being served for their son David."
Andy Polhamus may be reached at apolhamus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajpolhamus. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.