Douglas County double-homicide trial begins with jury selection Monday
A jury is being picked for the 2022 Lawrence double homicide that left Shelby McCoy and William D. O’Brien dead and could keep Douglas County in court for three weeks.
More than 30 prospective jurors filled Judge Amy Hanley’s courtroom Monday as Douglas County began selecting the panel for the long-awaited trial over a 2022 double homicide that has shadowed Lawrence for nearly four years. The case carries deep public weight because it reaches beyond one defendant’s fate, touching the families of Shelby McCoy, 52, and William D. O’Brien, 43, the police response that followed, and the daily routines of residents now being asked to serve.
The court plans to seat 16 jurors total, including four alternates, for a trial expected to last three weeks. Deputy District Attorney David Melton told potential jurors the state would not seek the death penalty, narrowing one part of the case while leaving a sprawling set of allegations before the jury. Rodney Marshall faces two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted capital murder, two counts of aggravated assault and one count of fleeing and eluding law enforcement.
Prosecutors say the case began on July 31, 2022, with shootings at two Lawrence homes, first at 1115 Tennessee St. and then at 325 Northwood Lane. Police allege Marshall killed McCoy at the Tennessee Street address, then drove a moped across town and shot O’Brien before fleeing Lawrence. Officers say the pursuit continued onto Kansas Highway 10 near Eudora, where shots were fired at law enforcement during the chase.
The case has taken a long route to trial. It was delayed multiple times for evidence review and defense preparation, and an April ruling by Hanley rejected Marshall’s claim that he should be immune from prosecution on self-defense grounds. Earlier proceedings also brought out a disputed allegation that investigators found a purported snitch list in Marshall’s home, a detail that added to the case’s notoriety in Lawrence and across Douglas County.
Monday’s jury selection also showed how a major criminal trial spills into ordinary life. Prospective jurors raised concerns about exams, track meets, graduation plans, vacations, weddings, jobs and medical appointments, all while the court pressed ahead with required documentation for excusals. Hanley reminded the panel that jury duty can create hardships but remains essential to the justice system, a message that landed in a county where residents will now watch the case unfold day by day.
Marshall appeared in a suit jacket and tie, taking notes and quietly conferring with his attorneys, a visible contrast with earlier court dates. As the panel is narrowed in the days ahead, Lawrence will be watching a trial that carries consequences for the victims’ families, the court calendar and a community still marked by the violence of that July night.
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