MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Ezekiel Kelly, the man accused in a deadly shooting and carjacking rampage that gripped Memphis in fear last year, stood behind new attorneys in court Wednesday morning.
Defense Attorney Michael Scholl said his team was asked to take over the case because of a conflict in the public defender’s office. Scholl said he received the discovery from the public defender’s office, a link to the files and some banker boxes.
“I really can’t discuss the type of evidence that’s been turned over,” he said. “We’ve just been handed over the files that they had previously. We just started going through them.”
Kelly is accused of driving around Memphis last September, shooting and carjacking people at random, and live-streaming parts of the incident on Facebook.
The entire city of Memphis went on lockdown. Police say three people were injured and three more were killed.
Kelly was taken into custody after a police chase from Mississippi back into Memphis. He faces a long list of charges, including three counts of first-degree murder, reckless endangerment and the commission of an act of terrorism.
He’s pleaded not guilty.
The District Attorney’s office announced they will pursue the death penalty.
Scholl has handled numerous death penalty cases in both state and federal court. He says until they get more familiar with the case, it’s hard to tell when they’ll be ready for trial.
“We’re going to get right on everything as quick as we possibly can. We have already started looking at everything,” he said.
Kelly is due back in court on Sept. 14.