On Wednesday, September 16, 2020, after a three day trial, Eriq McCorkle was convicted on all 8 counts of his 2018 indictment for Trafficking in Cocaine (3), Possession of Cocaine (3), Carrying a Concealed Weapon and Improperly Handling a Firearm in a Motor Vehicle in Judge Wolaver’s courtroom.
McCorkle chose to represent himself during the pendency of the case and at trial. The Court assigned stand-by defense counsel, but McCorkle examined the witnesses and made his own argument to the jury. Docket Prosecutor Bill Morrison spent many hours of preparation to get the case ready for trial, including motion hearings.
Pro Se defendant cases are among the most difficult kind of criminal matters to handle and try to a jury. Bill was assisted in his trial preparation by Xenia PD Detective Marc Margioras of the A.C.E. Task Force. Docket Prosecutor Cheri Stout helped Bill organize the case for trial so that he had all exhibits and documents prepared. Bill skillfully presented the case and professionally dealt with the many challenges posed by the pro se defendant. The hard work of the trial team resulted in the guilty verdict as to all counts and a one year firearm specification. Two of the counts were felonies of the second degree and carried mandatory prison time, and the firearm specification was also subject to mandatory time.
Sentencing took place on September 17, 2020 and resulted in a cumulative sentence of 7 years, with mandatory time in prison. The seized cash money of $37,209 and one of the motor vehicles were forfeited to the Greene County A.C.E. Task Force as part of the verdict.
We very much appreciate the hard work and extra time that went into preparing and trying this important case. This jury verdict sends a message that drug trafficking will not be tolerated in Greene County. The effort of our trial team in securing this guilty verdict has made our community safer.