Winona Murder Trial is Getting Underway
Winona, MN (KROC-AM News) - The process of selecting a jury for a Winona man’s murder trial got underway this morning at the Winona County Courthouse. 51-year-old Ricky Waiters faces a long list of charges, including 1st and 2nd-degree murder, 1st-degree assault and a drive-by shooting charge in connection with a deadly incident at a Winona bar a year and a half ago.
Waiters is accused of opening fire on a group of people gathered outside the bar in the early morning hours of July 27, 2016, after he drove out of the parking lot at the business. One of the bullets struck and fatally wounded a well-known local musician, while another bar patron was treated for non-life threatening wounds. The victim, 53-year-old Robert Johnson, was shot in the chest and later died at Winona Community Hospital.
The police report on the fatal shooting says it occurred moments after one member of the group standing outside the bar told Waiter he needed to move his vehicle after he parked in a no-parking area next to the business. Waiters fled the scene but was later arrested at his apartment.
Court documents indicate the trial is expected to last about two weeks.