Murphy – The murder trial of Bryan Vincent Crisp has stretched into its third week, with several developments that add details to the May 10, 2016, shooting death of 22-year-old local resident Kenneth Ryan Jones.
The court adjourned at lunchtime Thursday to allow district court to convene. The trial resumed Monday morning with the revelation that ballistics evaluation of a spent round prosecutors claim killed Jones proving inconclusive.
It was also determined that the lab technician who conducted the evaluation no longer works for the state crime lab and is unavailable. Summer Maffett, a forensic science supervisor at the crime lab, testified instead, but her testimony was restricted because of her lack of direct knowledge of the case and because she was not part of the
chain of custody of the .32-caliber revolver Crisp allegedly used or the spent round he allegedly fired.
Earlier testimony revealed that the night before the shooting, Jones had led police through Crisp’s house during a foot chase. Testimony later last week revealed that Jones and his girlfriend, Briana Rodriguez, had gone to Crisp’s house the next morning seeking to buy drugs, leading to the confrontation that ended with Jones’ death.
Crisp fled the scene in his silver Volkswagen Beetle, making his way to into Tennessee where he led local law enforcement on a wild high-speed chase across winding mountain roads. He evaded two road blocks and at least one attempt by lawmen to lay a spike strip across the road.
Crisp’s VW left wreckage while he evaded the second road block, and he pulled over to the side of the road and surrendered to pursuing officers a short distance later, near the intersection of Tennessee highways 30 and 411 a few hours after the shooting. Crisp was uninjured.
Judge Steven Warren rejected a motion by defense attorney Bill Jones to dismiss the case because of the long period it has taken for the case to come to trial.
Crisp has been in custody at the county jail since his arrest in 2016, during which time he has had three lawyers and had several court dates postponed, including trial dates. Crisp’s health has declined during his long incarceration in a jail intended for short-term lockups, his lawyer said.
Crisp, 51, is accused of shooting Ryan in his head following a scuffle around lunchtime at a house at 29 Sunrise St. in Murphy.
He is charged with first-degree murder and faces a life sentence.