Jury issue postpones trial of Bonaire teen accused of killing another teen

The trial of a Bonaire teenager charged with the shooting death of another teen last year was postponed at the 11th hour Monday.

The continuance came after an issue was raised in jury selection late Monday afternoon in Houston County Superior Court.

Kaden Chase Barefoot, 14, who is being tried as an adult, is accused of shooting 16-year-old Ryan Skeen once in the neck in an attempt to rob him of marijuana last Oct. 26.

Judge George Nunn continued the trial upon agreement of prosecution and defense attorneys that it would be the best course of action, said Gregory Bushway, one the Macon attorneys representing Barefoot.

Bushway said some of the jurors from a large jury pool assembled for the selection of two juries were dismissed without the knowledge of the defense and outside of the presence of Barefoot. The law affords Barefoot the right to be present at all aspects of his trial, including jury selection, Bushway said.

The procedural error apparently occurred in an adjacent courtroom before Judge Katherine K. Lumsden. One pool of jurors was being used for selection in the Barefoot case and an unrelated case before Judge Lumsden. Jurors who potentially could have been considered for Barefoot’s case were dismissed for the day when not selected for the other case, Bushway said.

From the bench, Nunn said he had no other recourse but to continue to the trial.

“Everybody can pack up ... and go home,” he said.

A new trial date was not set Monday. The case may be transferred to a new judge if an agreeable date cannot be found before Nunn retires at the end of this year.

Barefoot, who was 13 at the time of the slaying, is being tried on two counts of felony murder and one count each of malice murder, aggravated assault and attempted armed robbery.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Skeen was found shot in the driveway of his Franklin Square home and died later Oct. 28, 2015, at the Medical Center, Navicent Health. An armed Barefoot had ridden his bicycle over to Skeen’s home, prosecutors say.

Skeen, a student at Veterans High School in Kathleen, was a member of both the cross country and wrestling teams, according to his obituary.

Barefoot was an avid baseball player and played on a league in Macon before his arrest, Bushway said.

Houston County District Attorney George Hartwig declined comment immediately after the case was continued.

This story was originally published October 24, 2016 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Jury issue postpones trial of Bonaire teen accused of killing another teen."