Thursday, July 9, 2015

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I N D I A N A D A I LY S T U D E N T | T H U R S D AY, J U LY 9 , 2 0 1 5 | I D S N E W S . C O M

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

IDS INDIANA DAILY STUDENT | IDSNEWS.COM

Messel’s trial date delayed From IDS reports

Daniel Messel’s trial date has been moved to February to give the court and attorneys time to prepare, according to the Brown County Circuit Court. Jury selection will begin February 24, 2016, and the trial will immediately proceed after the selection. Messel’s original trial date was set for July 22, but because of various requests, such as a request for inves-

tigator funds and a change of venue. The change of venue request was filed by Messel’s attorney Dorie Maryan last month, and Judge Messel Judith Stewart ruled to keep the change of venue decision pending until the jury selection. Maryan made the request to avoid jury bias against Messel because of local news coverage.

During the request hearing she expressed concern about connections media made to Messel and Lauren Spierer’s death as well as Jill Behrman’s death. Coverage of past charges also concerned Maryan. Messel is charged with one count of murder for the death of IU senior Hannah Wilson. Wilson was found dead April 23 in Brown County. Suzanne Grossman

Staying Safe SCOTT TENEFRANCIA | IDS

Benedict Jones poses in the living room of his Bloomington apartment Tuesday. Jones, who is considered a quadriplegic, was accidently shot by a friend at the age of 11.

In light of the South Carolina shooting, the same debate is on the national radar once again: Do guns protect or endanger the people around them? By Annie Garau agarau@indiana.edu | @agarau6

Benedict Jones doesn’t really remember being shot. He knows he was 11 years old, a sixth grader. He remembers having a friend over to his home in Bloomington while his dad was at work, and his mom was taking his siblings to Indianapolis. It wasn’t the first time he had entered his father’s safe. He had known for a while exactly where the combination was hidden. But he had never taken out this many firearms and displayed them to a guest. “To me it was an education session,” Jones, who is now 34, said. “I was really stoked on being a dude

and knowing about these guns and showing that off.” Jones doesn’t remember his friend standing only four or five feet away from him holding the only gun Jones’ father kept loaded. He doesn’t remember the sound of .38-caliber bullet exploding out of the barrel. He doesn’t even remember clutching his hands around his neck, telling his friend to call 911 and falling backwards onto the floor.

sidered a quadriplegic. He has no feeling from his chest down. He doesn’t blame his friend for what happened to him; in his mind, they’re both victims. He doesn’t even blame his father, really. “The determinant of me being shot is an overly masculine, misguided, unregulated society that promotes guns and aggression as solutions to problems,” Jones said. “The purpose of guns is killing something. They’re not a safety mechanism.”

* * * * * * Though the incident remains fuzzy, the effects of that bullet wound are strikingly obvious in Jones’ day-to-day life. Though Jones is able to use his arms, he is con-

MeLinda Porter grew up in a household very SEE GUNS, PAGE 6

Becoming the man on the mound By Michael Hughes michhugh@indiana.edu | @Michael_Hughes94

Fogle’s home searched by FBI In 1999, the IDS reported on how then senior Jared Fogle lost over 200 pounds by eating Subway every day. His home was searched by the FBI on Tuesday as part of a child pornography investigation. Read more about his journey on page 6.

A man stands on the mound at Yankee Stadium, holding the fate of the World Series in his hands. He’s wearing pinstripes and bears a remarkable resemblance to a 6-yearold boy from Williston, Florida. The man on the mound and the boy from Northern Florida are the same. Well, not exactly the same. The man on the mound is a creation of the 6-year-old boy, Christian Morris, a Yankees fan. Morris has had the vision since he was six, 15 years ago. But his vision was just a vision. As time wore on, his vision became the farfetched dream most kids have of playing for their favorite team. But then, his vision became a possibility. The Yankees drafted him in the 33rd round of the Major League Baseball Draft June 10. A few nights ago, the Yankees called him after one of his games in the Cape Cod League with an offer. A contract offer putting him closer to his childhood dream of becoming the man on the mound. Tuesday, Morris flew to Tampa Bay, Florida, where he accepted the Yankees’ offer, foregoing his final season of collegiate eligibility at IU. The Yankees’ offer, which Morris

IDS FILE PHOTO

Then-junior pitcher Christian Morris delivers a pitch during IU's game against Rutgers on April 12 at Bart Kaufman Field. Morris signed a contract with the New York Yankees on Tuesday, forgoing his final season as a Hoosier.

said helps him and his family financially and includes the Yankees paying for him to get his degree, made his decision that much easier. “To say it was a dream come true would be an understatement,” Morris said. Morris playing in the Cape Cod League this summer was a little strange in itself. The league is primarily filled with next year’s draft prospects. But playing in the Cape Cod was

another dream of Morris’, an experience he said he needed. “It gave me a chance to get the feel back and get confidence in myself,” Morris said. “It gives me a lot of confidence in myself and all my pitches because I played some very, very high competition out there.” Morris struggled in his junior season as a Hoosier. His record of SEE MORRIS, PAGE 6


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