Published: November 05, 2009 09:39 am      

Grand jury could be back in session

It’s been about a month since testimony came to a halt in a grand jury investigation into the December 2008 shooting death of a Wynnewood man, but it appears the grand jury is close to resuming its work.

All indications point to the examination of Tom Horton’s death to start back up in a couple of weeks.

“Things could change, but we’re planning to meet Nov. 17,” said George Burnett, a Garvin County assistant district attorney.

Burnett and First Assistant District Attorney David Brockman of Norman acted as advisers to the 12 grand jurors and two alternates who met for four days of testimony in late September before recessing.

The group’s task is to learn more about Horton’s death. He was found dead in his Wynnewood home from a shotgun blast to his chest, which an official in the state medical examiner’s office ruled was suicide.

That ruling is questioned by a group of five relatives and friends of Horton which successfully petitioned to convene a grand jury.

During the four days of testimony in September, it’s believed some of Horton’s family members took the witness stand during the closed-door deliberations, as did several law enforcement officers involved in the case. It remains unknown how many or what type of witnesses remain to be heard by jurors once the grand jury reconvenes.

When it does, Burnett said there is still plenty of work.

“I would say we’re somewhere in the middle,” he said this week when asked about the grand jury’s progress so far.

Once all testimony and evidence are presented, Burnett said the next step will be decided by the grand jurors.

“They can deliberate on the evidence. They can investigate further or they could issue a report,” he said. “It’s entirely in their power where they go from there.”