Jury Selection Begins for Ky. Woman Accused in Boyfriend’s Murder
Published at
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Jury selection begins Monday in the murder trial of a 24-year-old Kentucky woman accused of gunning down her on-again, off-again boyfriend.
Shayna Hubers is accused of killing Ryan Poston in October 2012. Hubers told the court during a bail hearing last year that she shot Poston, a 29-year-old lawyer, in self-defense.
“I believe that I would have been hurt, that I would have been shot,” she said in court in July, pleading not guilty to murder.
According to court records, police say Hubers told them she shot Poston in the face twice, and then four more times to “put him out of his misery” and to end his “twitching and moaning.”
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the prosecution will argue that Hubers murdered Poston out of anger when he tried to break up with her.
On the stand, Hubers read a text message she sent to a friend days before Poston’s death.
“I want to turn around, shoot and kill him and play like it’s an accident,” the text message reads. Hubers told the court that the text was meant as a joke.
Ahead of the court proceedings, Poston’s relatives on his mother’s and father’s sides released a statement to ABC News.
“Ryan was an amazing person who was loved by his family and friends — friends from all walks of life, from different parts of the world and from throughout our community,” the statement from the Poston and Carter families read. “He cared deeply about people and left a lasting legacy of giving to others. The scholarship named for Ryan at Blessed Sacrament in Fort Mitchell is the single largest trust fund in the history of the school and will help families and students for years to come.
“We know Ryan was a caring young man, full of hope and potential to do great and wonderful things with his life,” the statement added. “His senseless murder is not what our community stands for. We treasure our young adults, and when they are taken away from us it damages not just our families but our entire community. As difficult as the trial will be for our families, we look forward to justice being served.”
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.