72-year-old Defendant Tyrone Harris was found Guilty of Second-Degree Murder in the November 7, 2023, shooting death of 60-year-old Bruce Woodland.
This conviction came only after the hard work and tenacity of Assistant District Attorney Kevin Kennedy, serving as First Chair in his first ever Murder Trial as either as First or Second Chair.
Division I Team Leader General Wesley King (Second Chair) says this case was a 2023 1st degree murder charge, but later dismissed at the General Sessions level as the proof was insufficient. There were no eyewitnesses to the shooting, however witnesses and phone records placed Harris at the property at the time of the shooting.
When General Kennedy later inherited the case, he began looking into it deeper. General Kennedy says thanks to the efforts of Metro Police Detective Kyle Eicholtz, more evidence was obtained and the case was able to move forward as a Direct Presentment to the Grand Jury. General King said: ‘Kevin on his own corralled numerous civilian witnesses who did not want to be involved, but he convinced them to do the right thing, which most of them ended up doing. He not only navigated numerous pre-trial problems with the case, but dealt with many that arose during trial, including the star witness being incarcerated and unavailable to testify given his nude status in the DCSO safe room. Kevin did all of it on his own.’
The Defendant’s final offer before trial was essentially probation only. Instead, General Kennedy offered for him to plead open to voluntary manslaughter after day 1 of the trial and that was turned down.
The trial proved a challenge, as the state’s star witness became unavailable and a couple other witnesses either didn’t show or recanted.
But, as Team Leader Wesley King says, General Kennedy never flinched: ‘Anyone would be expected to show nerves in their first trial, especially a murder, but you couldn’t tell with Kevin. He was composed, prepared, and very persuasive in his closing argument. Given the issues in the case, we knew that a voluntary manslaughter verdict would be a favorable verdict. The jury found the Defendant guilty of Second-Degree Murder, which exceeded our expectations and which brought closure for the family, including Mr. Woodland’s daughter who was in the Courtroom when the verdict was read. Kevin was excellent in his first trial, receiving praise from the victim’s family, the Court staff, and the defense attorney.’
ADA Kevin Kennedy gives high praise to the entire Division 1 Team, saying, ‘We relied a lot on jail calls. Those exhibits were all put together by Lili and Candice who put tons of work into that. Lili also helped a lot with the technology set up in general. She is the best. Most of all, Wesley was incredible in how he helped me through preparing for the trial, teaching me things I needed to know, strategizing with me, answering my endless questions, etc. etc. Safe to say, he was way more than a second chair on the case. Also my old DV team friends, especially Bethany Wohlford and Kate Snyder, were super amazing in letting me bounce ideas off them for months and supporting me on it all.’
In the end, the victim’s family was extremely happy with the verdict. Great job by Generals Kennedy and King, the entire Division I Team, and other members of our staff!
Defendant Tyrone Harris Victim Bruce Woodland