New witness testifies in Meus case

WAUCHULA -- The volunteer firefighter and his friend were headed home after a day of fishing when they came upon the crash site.

"Oh my God, look what just happened," Juan Otero said to his fishing buddy.

They stopped to help. Otero watched as a trucker climbed out of the tractor trailer, overflowing with spilled tomatoes. In broken English, the trucker said that someone had come in front of him, that he had not seen them. He looked alert, and he was trying to help, Otero said. The trucker said he had a bump on his head from the impact.

This afternoon is the first time Otero has testified in court in the case of Jean Claude Meus, a Haitian immigrant serving 15 years in state prison in the death Nona Moore, 40, and her 8-year-old daughter, Lindsey.

Meus was convicted in 2003 of vehicular homicide, but his case is back in court because his attorney, John Trevena, says the lawyer who represented Meus during the trial did not do a thorough job, failing to present a witness who could have easily debunked the state's theory that Meus had fallen asleep at the wheel.

About 20 people came to court today in rural Wauchula for the hearing, which Trevena hopes could lead to a new trial for Meus. Among those gathered are the family of Nona and Lindsey Moore, who are fighting to get Meus out of prison.

The hearing started just after

2 p.m.

-- Abbie VanSickle, Times staff writer