WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — The trial for a former University of Maine football player accused of killing a man and attempting to kill his former girlfriend has been postponed until spring.
The jury trial for Zedric Joseph had been scheduled to begin next Monday at the Palm Beach County Courthouse in West Palm Beach.
Court Media Relations Specialist Sharee Gilbert said Tuesday the defense was granted a continuance, saying it needed more time to prepare for the trial. The case is on the court calendar for a jury trial to begin April 25, 2016
There are no pending motions in the case, she said.
Joseph, 25, remains in jail on charges of first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and burglary while armed in connection with a violent knife attack on March 7, 2014, that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Ricardy Chery and injury of Vashti Laurore.
Joseph was arrested in Georgia five days after the knife attack and extradited to Florida on June 4, 2014.
Laurore told police she and Chery were in the bedroom of her locked apartment when Joseph broke through the bedroom door holding a knife. He immediately and without provocation began stabbing Chery, according to a police affidavit filed in the case.
Chery rolled off the bed in an attempt to get away and begged Joseph to stop stabbing him, according to the affidavit. Joseph then told the victim he was going to die and was going to “learn.”
Joseph allegedly ordered Laurore and Chery to get on their knees on the floor and began kicking Chery in the abdomen and spitting on him. Laurore begged Joseph to stop, but he put the knife against her throat and told her she was going to “die today,” according to the Palm Beach Sheriff’s report.
She grabbed the knife to pull it away, and Joseph allegedly cut her severely in the thumb and palm of her left hand before he left.
Laurore and Joseph had been in a relationship for about five years and had one child together.
In 2012, Joseph was accused of attacking Laurore while they lived together in Orono with their daughter and her son from a prior relationship. UMaine police arrested Joseph on charges of domestic violence assault, domestic violence criminal threatening and misdemeanor assault on Dec. 17, 2012, after Laurore told officers Joseph tried to strangle her twice and threatened to kill her in a jealous rage.
Joseph took a plea bargain on a disorderly conduct charge, for which he spent 48 hours in jail. He also was suspended from the school and the football team on an interim basis after the 2012 incident, according to UMaine officials. He returned to the football field the next season.
After being named a suspect in the West Palm Beach stabbings, Joseph was suspended again on March 8, 2014, from UMaine, where he was studying child development and family relations.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.