Both suspects to be tried together in Brooks’ Sandwich House murder case

CHARLOTTE — The family of the beloved Brooks’ Sandwich House co-owner is one step closer to justice as the two men accused of killing Scott Brooks headed to trial Monday.

Steven Staples and Terry Conner are accused of fatally shooting Brooks just before 5 a.m. as Scott Brooks opened his NoDa sandwich shop in December 2019. The two accused killers will be tried together in court.

Community support

Scott Brooks’ family and friends packed the courtroom Monday to show their support.

“Tired but a little bit vindicated the process is going to start,” said David Brooks, Scott Brooks’ twin brother.

The Brooks’ Sandwich Shop has been in that family for generations. After the killing, the community showed love and support to that family that has been giving back since their shop opened. The family donated two aces of land to Habitat for Humanity for the purpose of building affordable housing.

“Oh, it just warms my heart about the support that we have throughout the city of Charlotte,” David Brooks said on Monday. “When I open my Bible, I see my brother. When I say my prayers, I see my brother. And when I open my business, I see my brother, and so many other people do too because he was such a people person.”

Motions to delay denied

Cameras were not allowed in court on Monday.

However, Channel 9’s Hunter Sáenz was inside the courtroom as the judge heard several motions from prosecutors and defense attorneys. The judge struck down motions by the suspects’ defense teams to delay the case further, which was a relief for the Brooks family. The defense teams for each suspect said they wanted a delay because of over 40,000 jailhouse phone calls they have not had the time to listen to in their totality. The state said it does not intent to use any of those calls as evidence.

The defense also had an issue with the recent opinion of the medical examiner regarding how Brooks was killed. The fatal shot hit Scott Brooks in the chest. However, the defensive teams said a new opinion from the medical examiner suggested that Scott Brooks may have been crouched when shot.

Prosecutors rebutted that there are many scenarios that could have taken place regarding the bullet’s trajectory that went downward from upper left chest to lower right back but that basically Scott Brooks was shot down at.

The defense teams said they needed time to find an expert to analyze this new opinion and refute it since the opinion was new -- just a couple days ago.

Judge Lou Trosch ultimately denied the motion to delay trial.

Jury selection is expected to start Tuesday and the trial could be between three and six weeks. Prosecutors hope to hand the case over to the jury by Dec. 3.

Security in the courthouse has also increased for the case.

It was Sáenz’s first time walking through a metal detector outside the specific courtroom, as well as the entrance.

Even if convicted, Staples and Conner will not face the death penalty.

Sandwich shop to reopen Tuesday

The sandwich shop posted on Facebook saying they will not be open Monday due to the start of the trial, but they do plan to reopen Tuesday through the rest of the week.

In that post, the shop owners left a simple message for the community.

“Thank you so much for your kind words and prayers,” the post read.

VIDEO: 2 suspects plead not guilty in slaying of NoDa sandwich shop owner

2 suspects plead not guilty in slaying of NoDa sandwich shop owner

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