Jury selection begins for retrial of Leon Houston

By ANN KEIL
6 News Reporter

KINGSTON (WATE) -- Jury selection began Monday for the second trial of Leon Houston in the fatal 2006 shooting of a Roane County deputy and his ride-along friend.

The jury will be sequestered during the trial. Most of the potential jurors questioned Monday have been relieved due to medical reasons, but attorneys have questioned fewer than 30 people.

Several people in the jury pool said they can't base their decisions solely on the evidence that will be presented in trial because of previous media coverage.

Leon Houston and his brother, Rocky Houston, are charged with first-degree murder in the May 2006 shooting deaths of Roane County Deputy Bill Jones and former police officer Mike Brown during a shootout.

Before jury selection started, the judge allowed Leon to reappoint his former attorney, Jim Logan.

The brothers fired their attorneys in July, delaying their retrials.

Rocky's trial in December 2008 ended in a split verdict and that case is on hold, pending an appeal based on double jeopardy.

Leon's first trial ended in a mistrial in July 2008.

Leon and Rocky were released on bonds in March. 

However, both were taken back into custody in August because they no longer had tracking devices to wear, which violated a condition of their bonds.