By this Friday, attorneys on both sides of the murder trial against
John F. Ames will file all motions they want heard at the next
scheduled court date.
Meanwhile, the defendant has dropped an $11.4 million counter suit he
previously brought against Evelyn “E.B.” Brooks—the widow of the man
Ames is accused of killing. Ames still faces a Wrongful Death suit and
capital murder charges.
Circuit Court Judge John E. Clarkson is sitting for the civil case,
because Judge Horace A. Revercomb, III stepped down from hearing both
the civil and criminal cases.
Recently, Clarkson decided that the civil case of Brooks vs. Ames will
not proceed until the criminal trial is over.
The original $10.4 million wrongful death suit was filed by E.B.
Brooks, as the executor of her husband’s estate, in June.
She lost her husband, O. Perry Brooks, on April 19 when Ames, 59,
allegedly shot and killed the 74-year-old man.
E.B. Brooks and her two daughters, Kim Brooks and Jacqueline Coleman,
filed civil suit papers against Ames in order to recuperate what they
claim to be emotional and financial losses from the death of a husband
and father.
Soon thereafter, Ames filed a 13-count counter suit against E.B.
Brooks, her two daughters, her son-in-law and three unnamed third party
defendants.
In the most recent court action, Ames dropped the counter suit—which
made claims that the defendants had trespassed, inflicted emotional
distress, committed assault and battery, acted in conspiracy, frauded
the complainant and committed an act of terrorism, among other claims.
At the Nov. 16 hearing in the civil case, Ames dropped the claims
against E.B. Brooks, but not against the other counter claim defendants.
Both farmers, Perry Brooks and John Ames had been neighbors and foes
over 15 years. On the day of the shooting, Perry Brooks trespassed
onto Ames’ farm—Holly Hill—in order to retrieve a wayward bull.
In the criminal trial, Ames is claiming self-defense and says that he
only reacted to Brooks’ threatening action when he shot and killed his
neighbor.
Among other motions that will likely be filed by the end of this week,
Ames’ defense attorneys anticipate filing a motion to change venue for
the criminal trial so that it is either heard outside of Caroline
County or by an out-of-county jury.
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