Trial of man accused of killing prominent Edwardsville attorney won’t be live-streamed
A judge has denied a St. Louis TV station’s request to live-stream a high-profile Edwardsville murder trial to the public this week.
The defendant is Timothy Banowetz, 30, a former Missouri college student accused of stabbing to death prominent attorney and philanthropist Randy Gori and stealing cash, two cellphones and a Rolls-Royce Cullinan on Jan. 4, 2020, at Gori’s rural Edwardsville home.
Opening arguments are expected to begin sometime Tuesday, after jury selection is completed.
“Let the people of Illinois watch the trial from start to finish,” KMOV-TV attorney Mike Nepple had argued at a last-minute hearing Monday morning at the Madison County Criminal Justice Center.
Judge Kyle Napp quickly denied the station’s request, saying raw or edited video footage making its way to social media and other internet sites could contaminate the jury.
Objections to the request had been filed by both prosecutors with Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine’s office and defense attorneys under Public Defender Mary Copeland.
“I was unaware that (live-streaming) was something that was even being considered,” Napp said, explaining why she hadn’t ruled on the issue at previous hearings.
Widespread media attention
The Edwardsville murder, which police and prosecutors called “heinous,” has attracted widespread media attention. Spectators at Monday’s hearing included reporters from local, regional and national organizations, including the CBS true-crime series “48 hours.”
Assistant Public Defender Delani Hemmer told the judge that live-streaming “diminishes the right to a fair trail.” Assistant State’s Attorney Jacob Harlow said Gori’s family members were against it.
Napp ruled that KMOV-TV could videotape the trial but allow access to a live feed by reporters from only four media organizations, including the Belleville News-Democrat, that had followed Madison County Circuit Court rules by filing paperwork in advance.
Later in the day, the court allowed other media organizations to file paperwork to get access to the live feed.
Banowetz sat silently next to Copeland at the hearing. He wore a light-blue, button-down shirt and paper COVID-19 mask. He was led out in handcuffs attached to a brown leather belt.
Also present at the hearing were a half-dozen members of the Gori family. They talked quietly afterward, some hugging or crying.
Jury selection began after the hearing. The first group from a potential pool of 275 Madison County residents began filing through metal detectors into the Criminal Justice Center at noon. Court staff took their temperatures and asked questions for a COVID-19 screening.
Limited courtroom attendance
Due to the pandemic, attendance at the Banowetz trial will be limited to court staff, the defendant, his attorneys, prosecutors, a small number of Banowetz and Gori family members and designated media representatives, Chief Judge Bill Mudge said last week.
Jurors will be seated on benches where spectators normally sit for social-distancing purposes.
The public can watch the trial on a large closed-circuit TV screen in a courtroom that holds 70 to 80 people in the Madison County Courthouse down the street, according to bailiffs. If overflow seating is required, they will open another courtroom to accommodate 30 or 40 more.
Police found Gori dead about 9 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, in his isolated home at 4586 Mooney Creek Lane, northeast of Edwardsville. They called in the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis to investigate.
The following Monday, former Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons announced that Banowetz was being charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, aggravated unlawful restraint and an offense related to vehicle theft.
Banowetz had been apprehended Sunday morning in a wooded area about 1,200 feet from the Gori home. According to the charges, he bound the hands of Gori and two minor children before using a knife to stab Gori, then stole cash and two cellphones and fled in the Rolls-Royce.
Banowetz pleaded “not guilty” at his arrangement after being indicted by a grand jury. He’s being held without bond at the Madison County Jail.
Banowetz lived in Wenzville, Missouri, and later St. Louis, but authorities believe he was homeless at the time of his arrest. He had recently been enrolled at St. Louis College of Pharmacy.
