Court Watching: Accused murderer Richard Jackson’s jury trial reset to Sept. 17

By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
Accused murderer Richard Elmer Jackson, Jr. of Van Buren Township has retained an attorney, had his case reassigned to a different judge, and had his jury trial postponed from the original Aug. 7 date until Sept. 17.
Jackson’s court-appointed attorney had been Mark Procida. His retained attorney is William Otis Culpepper.
His original Circuit Court Judge Gregory D. Bill has been replaced by Judge Timothy M. Kenny.
Jackson, 49, has been held in the Wayne County Jail since he was charged with the Dec. 17 first-degree murder of his wife Travisteen in their VBT home.
He was found competent to stand trial and 34th District Court Chief Judge Tina Brooks Green bound him over to circuit court for trial, after holding a preliminary exam on Feb. 26.
Dale Kenneth Phifer
Dale Kenneth Phifer, 76, of Van Buren Township agreed to a plea deal to lesser drug charges. He had been charged with delivery / manufacture of 5-45 kilograms of marijuana.
Dale Phifer and his son Kirkwood Phifer were arrested Nov. 13 at their home on Bog Road, Dale for possession of 83 marijuana plants and Kirkwood for 65 tablets of LSD.
On May 29, Kirkwood pled guilty as charged to possessing 65 tablets of LSD. The charge of delivery/manufacturing 5-45 kilos of marijuana was dismissed in the plea agreement.
Kirkwood Phifer was sentenced to pay $1,800 in fines and costs or spend four months in the Wayne County Jail. He paid the fines.
Dale Phifer was scheduled for a final conference July 7 in Judge Dana Hathaway’s courtroom before a scheduled jury trial.
But, on July 7, Dale failed to show up for court and a bench warrant was issued. The next day, however, Dale was in court and he was arraigned on a failure to appear charge. His final conference was held, a day late.
At a pre-trial conference on Aug. 1, Dale accepted a plea deal. He pled guilty to possession of a controlled substance, which was reduced to a misdemeanor. The original charge of delivery/manufacture of marijuana was dismissed.
The jury trial was cancelled.
Judge Hathaway referred Dale to the probation department for a pre-sentence report. She will sentence Dale on Aug. 29.
Van Buren Township Detective Donovan McCarthy is the officer in charge of the Phifer cases.