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Last updated on Friday, November 11, 2011
(BLOOMINGTON) - A public defender will represent the man charged with killing 22-year-old pizza delivery driver Adam Sarnecki on Nov. 4 and with shooting a woman in the thigh as she walked her dog on Halloween night.
Police say both victims were shot with a .380-caliber handgun investigators reported finding early Monday hidden in a clothes dryer vent at a Bloomington mobile home where 22-year-old James Finney had been staying.
James D. Finney, 22, whose most recent address was in Bedford, appeared in Monroe Circuit Court Wednesday for an initial hearing. A pretrial conference date was set for Jan. 9. He is being held without bond on charges of murder, three counts of being a felon carrying a handgun without a permit, battery with a deadly weapon, criminal recklessness and dealing marijuana.
After the hearing, Monroe County Deputy Prosecutor Jeff Kehr said he intends to file additional charges against Finney next week in connection with an Oct. 30 burglary at the Smoke-N-Lotto on Leonard Springs Road.
Later on Wednesday afternoon, 20-year-old Donavon Spears entered a plea agreement for shooting Finney in the chest on Nov. 20, 2008 with a .380-caliber handgun that was never recovered. He stood trial in February 2009 but the jurors were deadlocked after six hours of deliberations. Spears pleaded guilty to intimidation and was sentenced to six months in jail and two and a half years on probation.
A witness at the trial said they saw Finney and Spears arguing in the 1200 block of Arlington Park Drive. During the incident, Finney head-butted Spears and they continued to fight. Finney broke free and was walking away when Spears pulled the handgun and fired one shot, hitting Finney in the chest.
While a woman helped Finney he told her it was Spears who shot him. Finney was flown to Methodist Hospital for treatment. During Spear's trial Finney told jurors he didn't know who shot him.
On Thursday, Spears was back in court and was sentenced to 13-year prison term for selling cocaine and for punching a jail officer in the face. Charges of public intoxication, illegal consumption of alcohol, driving without a license and a second count of dealing cocaine were dismissed.
Spear apologized for hitting a jailer in the face with a closed fist on July 20, causing a chipped tooth and cut lip.
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