stillisstillmoving.com

Photo: Rod Aydelotte

[Steven Kreytak reported live today from inside the Courthouse in Waco, relaying what was going on in the Courtroom.  It was fascinating, I couldn't stop reading.  What an amazing, instant reporting he was doing.  Anyway, thanks  to Steven Kreytak. -- LL]

by Steven Kreytak

WACO – A McLennan County jury has found country music songwriter Billy Joe Shaver not guilty of aggravated assault in the March 31, 2007, shooting of a man at a bar.

Shaver let out a big long exhale after state District Judge Matt Johnson read the jury’s verdict.

In court, Billy Coker, the man who Shaver shot, looked stunned. He said he was disappointed but would respect the justice system’s outcome. Prosecutor Mark Parker told Coker he was sorry.

Shaver, meanwhile, hugged supporters who numbered in the dozens. His band, his agent and other supporters waited at the McLennan County Courthouse for the verdict. Willie Nelson, who watched the day’s testimony from the courtroom gallery, had left.

To read the rest of the article, visit the Austin Statesman website at
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/courts/entries/2010/04/09/shaver_supporters_not_there_to.html

Billy Joe Shaver in Waco today
Photo by:  Rod Aydelotte

by Louise Ojeda, Jr.
www.kxxv.com

WACO – Jury selection is underway Tuesday for the aggravated assault trial of country singer and songwriter Billy Joe Shaver.

In March 2007, Shaver allegedly shot 51-year-old Billy Coker in the face, injuring his cheek, at Papa Joe’s Saloon in Lorena, about 15 miles south of Waco.

The 70-year-old was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a 2nd degree felony.  

The jury in the trial is made up of eight men and four women, and was picked just minutes after 5 p.m.

Shaver, who wrote songs for Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, could get anywhere from two to 20 years, plus a $5,000 fine if found guilty.

In their jury, the prosecution and defense, who is led by Dick DeGuerin, wanted the same thing, jurors who will see Shaver as a regular guy and not celebrity, people who will not hold him to a high standard or persecute him more for his fame.

Dick DeGuerin, Shaver’s attorney, has previously represented David Koresh and U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Coker, who will testify in this case, received only minor injuries from the gun shot, and Shaver fled the scene that night of the incident.

Opening statements and testimony begins Wednesday at 8:30.

by Tommy Witherspoon
www.wacotrib.com

Jury selection is set to begin this morning in the aggravated assault trial of country crooner Billy Joe Shaver, the self-styled “Honky Tonk Hero” charged with shooting a man outside a bar in Lorena three years ago.

The 70-year-old singer-songwriter is on trial in Waco’s 54th State District Court in the April 1, 2007, shooting of Billy Bryant Coker outside Papa Joe’s Saloon on Interstate 35 in Lorena.

Shaver’s attorney, Dick DeGuerin, of Houston, said Monday that Shaver is looking forward to putting the case behind him.

It was unfortunate and something he couldn’t avoid,” said DeGuerin, who also has represented such notables as Branch Davidian leader David Koresh and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. “He was defending himself. He was responding to a threat. Billy Coker had a knife, no question about that.”

Details of the incident are in dispute, but Shaver and Coker argued inside the tavern and ended up outside, according to records filed in the case.

Shaver reportedly asked Coker, “Where do you want it?” then shot him in the cheek and drove away, according to reports.

Shaver has denied asking Coker, “Where do you want it?” But prosecutors say they expect Coker and other witnesses to testify that they heard Shaver ask the question, which has inspired at least two country songs, including one called “Where Do You Want It?”

Prosecutors Mark Parker and Beth Toben said Monday they could call up to 24 witnesses. They said Shaver’s self-defense claim will be disputed.

“Based on the evidence we have gleaned and discovered, it doesn’t appear to be a case of self-defense,” Parker said.

Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon is a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Shaver also is charged with unlawfully carrying a handgun by a license holder on licensed premises, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Shaver, who lives in Waco, is mentioned in the recent box-office hit “Crazy Heart,” which also featured one of his songs, “Live Forever.”

Waylon Jennings filled most of his album “Honky Tonk Heroes” with Shaver’s songs, and many other artists, including Elvis Presley and Kris Kristofferson, have recorded Shaver’s music through the years.

Court officials expect the trial to last three or four days.