Ames lawyer argues:No fair
Cooley to ask judge to take trial out of Caroline
By C. Ruth Ebrahim, Staff Writer

A trial date has not been set. But, if defense attorneys get their way, a Caroline jury will not hear the murder trial of a local farmer.

Pre-trial motions in the capital murder case of John F. Ames will be heard on Jan. 26.

As of Thursday, Jan. 13, a trial judge had not been named since Judge Horace A. Revercomb stepped down from presiding over the case.

The motions to be heard include: Motion for Specific Discovery and to Produce Specific Exculpatory Information, Notice of Intention to Assert the Defense of Self Defense, and Motion for Change of Venue.

Ames is accused of First Degree Murder and the Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony in relation to the death of his long-time neighbor Oliver Perry Brooks.

Defense attorney Craig S. Cooley filed the motion for a Change of Venue in Caroline Circuit Court on Oct. 29, 2004.

In the motion, the defense argues that the environment of prejudice and publicity surrounding the trial of Ames makes it impossible to compile an impartial jury pool in Caroline County.

Also, Cooley plans to subpoena witnesses from both The Caroline Progress and The Free-Lance Star to testify as to media coverage of the incidents surrounding the shooting
and leading up to the trial.

As of Monday, Jan. 17, Cooley said he was not sure if a witness from The Richmond Times-Dispatch would be asked to testify.

In a separate motion filed in November, Ames defense attorney asks the court to require the Commonwealth to provide specific details of any incidents where Brooks was allegedly involved in disruptive or assaultive behavior.

The defense has further made clear what they have indicated since Ames was first arrested and charged in April 2004they will be arguing that Ames reacted in self defense when he shot Brooks at Holly Hill Farm.

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