CANTON − By 9:45 on a recent Wednesday morning, the court case against Zeb’s alleged killer was about to be unveiled.
Jerry Barnes, the accused, sat next to his attorney, Aaron Kovalchik, inside Stark County Common Pleas Judge Kristin Farmer’s courtroom. Assistant Stark County Prosecutor Olivia Cope was at a table to their right. The judge peered down from the bench.
Barnes, a 71-year-old veteran dog trainer, had requested this trial. He didn’t want a jury of his peers. Instead, he wanted Farmer herself to make the call in what’s known as a bench trial…