TDCJ inmate murder trial begins in Leon County

Jury selection began Monday morning in Leon County in a Huntsville inmate’s capital murder trial. Jerry Martin, 39, and a fellow inmate, John Falk, 42, are accused of killing a TDCJ guard as they escaped from the Wynne Unit in September of 2007.

On September 24, 2007 Susan Canfield, a 59 year old TDJC guard at Huntsville, was killed after Martin and Falk escaped from the outside farm detail at the Wynne Unit prison.

According to a TDCJ report, Martin managed to get out of eyesight of a prison guard and jumped into a Huntsville city truck, then rammed it into Canfield who was on horseback. The horse threw the officer and she struck the truck’s windshield before crashing to the ground, causing fatal head injuries.

After the escape, the inmates took a car from a woman in a bank drive though. Huntsville police shot out a tire on the car and the inmates ran away but were apprehended within a few hours.

Martin had served 10 years of a 50 year sentence for two counts of attempted capital murder. Falk served 20 years for a murder conviction before his attempted escape. Officials said both inmates were listed as minimum custody prisoners because neither had serious discipline problems during the last 10 years.

The trial for both inmates has been moved from Walker County to Leon County. Martin’s trial began this week and prosecutors say 350 jury summons were sent out. Because they plan to interview each potential juror, prosecutors expect jury selection to last no less than four weeks. Opening arguments will begin following jury selection.