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BUCKHANNON -- Jury selection for the murder trial of a Randolph County man has been moved to May, and the case will be handled by a special prosecutor from Upshur County.
Jury selection in the trial of Stephen Ray Cross, 55, had been scheduled for Monday morning, but now the examination of prospective jurors has been moved to 9 a.m. May 6 at the Randolph County Courthouse.
Cross was indicted on one count of murder, and one felony count of use or presentation of a firearm during commission of a felony, by a Randolph County grand jury in October 2023.
Randolph Prosecuting Attorney Michael Parker recused his office from prosecuting the case because of a potential conflict of interest, officials told The Inter-Mountain. The case has been taken over by Upshur County Prosecuting Attorney Bryan Hinkle.
In March 2023, Cross was arrested and charged after an incident at his home on Chenoweth Creek Road. According to the criminal complaint, once police arrived at the home, an individual who was later identified as Jonathan Chenoweth, 48, was found slumped over the center console of a UTV and appeared to have suffered a fatal gunshot wound.
According to the complaint, police observed at least three bullet holes through the windshield of the UTV. Officers obtained a written statement from a witness to the incident who said Chenoweth was unarmed, and that when he pulled into Cross's driveway, Cross opened fire, shooting five to eight times.
The complaint stated that a witness saw Cross standing approximately 5 to 10 feet away behind a white van and observed him produce a sidearm and open fire. According to the complaint, a total of seven spent shell casing from a 9mm gun were located. No weapons were found near the victim.
According to the complaint, before officers with the Randolph County Sheriff's Office and West Virginia State Police were dispatched to the shooting scene, Randolph County 911 had received a call about a person shooting a dog on the Chenoweth Creek Road, and officers were en route to that call before they were redirected to Cross's home.
Cross is currently an inmate at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail.