Trial begins in 2022. Coastal Taproom shooting

The trial of a 49-year-old Millsboro man charged with first-degree murder shot and killed at the Coastal Taproom near Rehoboth Beach in February 2022 began Oct. 14 in Delaware Superior Court.

Prosecutors say Edward Martin shot 41-year-old Arrick Richards after the two men had a brief verbal argument during a game of pool. Martin’s defense is that he saw another patron with a gun in the bar who had previously spoken to Richards and acted in self-defense. To prove first-degree murder in Delaware, it must be established that a person intentionally or recklessly caused the death of another person.

Following jury selection and opening statements on October 14, the prosecution, led by Assistant Attorneys General Martin Cosgrove and Amanda Nyman, began the trial on October 15 by calling the case’s key eyewitnesses and laying out the timeline of events.

While the various witnesses have differed as to the exact time at which things took place, the general overview of events is that Richards and his wife Laci and their mother Vicki Orris after midnight on the night of February 19, 2022 at Coastal Arrived at Taproom for a quick nightcap before last call. They met Laci’s girlfriend Jordyn Harris and her then-boyfriend Rico Stringfellow. The Richards had just put their three children to bed and only planned to stay out for a short time.

The group ordered drinks and sat at a high table. Arrick Richards and Stringfellow decided to play a game of pool. At the time, Martin and his wife Christie were playing.

During the Martins’ game, Richards made a comment about the gloves and personal pool cues the Martins had brought with them. Bar employees who testified said they had not noticed any escalation in hostilities. Both Stringfellow and Laci Richards said they could feel tension building between the two men.

After Richards chirped at Martin about whether he would take a shot, Laci Richards and Stringfellow said Martin remarked, “If I don’t, am I a slut?” Stringfellow, standing between the two men, testified Richards shrugged her shoulders and said, “I think so?” Laci testified that she tried to convince her husband to leave and she went to the door until she came back and saw Christie Martin talking to Arrick.

The key evidence in the prosecution’s case is surveillance video of the shooting. The video shows Martin, wearing a white baseball cap, talking to Richards, with Stringfellow between them. Suddenly Martin pulls out a gun and shoots Richards in the chest. As people rush towards Richards, Martin leaves the front door.

Stringfellow said he helped put Richards on the ground while Laci rushed to his side. Stringfellow said Richards was heard saying, “I got shot, baby. I got shot.” Laci testified that as her husband lay on the ground, she told him he was going to be okay and that she loved him. She said his last words to her were: “I’m dying. I love you too.”

Bartender Christopher “Rusty” Schaffer said he didn’t see the shot but heard what he described as a loud clap. He said he served the Martins drinks earlier in the evening when the couple played pool. Schaffer said he recognized Richards as a casual customer. He said he did not detect any tension leading up to the shooting because he believed it was just friendly banter, but also testified that Martin appeared to be looking for trouble with Richards.

Barback Andrew Gusch, a former Marine, said he also didn’t detect any tension but knew immediately he heard a gunshot. He saw Richards lying on the ground with blood flowing from his mouth, a sign to Gusch that Richards had blood in his lungs. Christopher Sulton was another bar returnee who was off duty but was hanging out at the bar that night. He testified he heard a popping sound that he knew was a gunshot, and after briefly taking cover, he rushed to where Richards was lying and called 911. In the call played in court, Sulton told the dispatcher that a man had been shot, that Richards was not breathing and the shooter had fled. Sulton, a former Navy man with skills in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, performed chest compressions on Richards until paramedics arrived while Gusch spoke with the dispatcher. Sulton said he saw blood coming from Richard’s mouth and a gunshot wound in the chest near his collarbone.

On Oct. 16, the third day of the trial, prosecutors called Mackenson Jean-Francois, also known as “Mack,” who was a patron at the bar that evening. Jean-Francois was shown the surveillance video and photos of him interacting with Richards in the bar. Jean-Francois said he didn’t know Richards personally, only peripherally. He said that during the pool game, Richards told Martin to hurry up and take his shot. He said Martin responded, “Don’t tell me what to do.” Jean-Francois said not long afterward, Martin took out his pistol and shot Richards, allegedly telling Richards, “Now tell me what.” “I should do” as he left the scene.

During cross-examination, defense attorney Daniel Strumpf asked why Jean-Francois had a gun with him that night. Jean-Francois said he had a concealed carry permit for the weapon, a Glock 9mm.

Strumpf showed Jean-Francois stills from the video, in which Jean-Francois lifts his shirt and shows a friend his gun. Jean-Francois testified that the situation between Richards and Martin escalated and the friend asked what would happen if violence broke out. Jean-Francois said he showed his gun and noted that he was protected.

Strumpf showed the stills and pointed out that Martin Jean-Francois was close enough to possibly see the gun. Strumpf asked, “Did it occur to you that the flash of your weapon contributed to the death of Mr. Richards?” Jean-Francois replied, “Absolutely not.”

Strumpf also questioned why Jean-Francois did not immediately contact police after the shooting or come forward for questioning as a witness. Strumpf said it took months after the incident for Delaware State Police investigators to find him. Jean-Francois said that when he left the bar to go home, state police arrived and he didn’t think to contact police.

Prosecutors then called Yolanda Priestley, a bartender at Amvets Post 2 in Long Neck, who testified that she regularly served the Martins on weekends. She said the Martins usually visited the post to play pool. She said Edward’s favorite drink was a cocktail called Liquid Marijuana, a bright green drink made with blue curaçao, melon liqueur and rum. On the night of the shooting, security footage from Amvets 2 showed the Martins arriving at the post around 8 p.m., playing pool and something drank before leaving at 9:15 p.m. Priestley said Martin was usually very warm and friendly to deal with. She said she was shocked when she heard he was involved in the shooting.

Schaffer, the bartender at Coastal Taproom, had previously testified that the couple came in later that evening and that he served Edward several liquid marijuana drinks, with the Martins even having to show him how to make the drink.

The public prosecutor’s office then began to handle the case by calling the first police responders and investigators. The first officer on scene was Cpl. Matthew Blakeman, who testified that when he arrived at the bar he noticed a pool cue on the floor outside. He walked into the bar and found Richards lying on the floor, surrounded by patrons trying to revive him. After making sure the shooter was no longer present, paramedics were called. Blakeman testified that the bar’s owner provided him with the security footage of the shooting and that bar staff identified Martin as the shooter based on the video and the bar menu left behind.

The prosecution plans to complete its case by Friday, October 18. The following week it is the defense’s turn before the case is handed over to the jury. If convicted of first-degree murder, Martin faces life in prison.