A Varna man’s murder retrial is scheduled for the week of September 19th. Twenty-eight year old Bradley French will be allowed to make more of a self-defense claim this time. An appellate court tossed out the guilty conviction from the first trial, finding that the jury should have been allowed to hear more.
In the first trial, prosecutors said he went out looking for trouble the morning he shot 38-year old Joshua Scaman with a razor tipped arrow. The defense said French was trying to protect a woman Scaman had been harassing.
The prosecutor told Judge H. Chris Ryan Friday, he’s ready for the second trial. French’s lawyer asked for more time to prepare. They’ll be in court again in June to update the judge on readiness for trial and any hearings that might be needed in the meantime.