Pictured Above: “He was fascinated in why people did things,” Owen Melin’s mother, Mary Melin, said. “He talked about trying to understand people before trying to change them. He wanted to understand people.”
Courtesy of Matthew Lee
A trial date has been set for the man charged with killing Owen Melin, a 22-year-old USF St. Petersburg psychology senior.
Joshua Pilley Jr. faces charges of first-degree murder and armed aggravated cruelty to animals. His trial is scheduled to begin April 20, but could be delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Melin was shot last June in a home invasion just six blocks from the university.
Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Colyer said Pilley Jr. also shot and killed “one of the two dogs that resided in the residence.”
According to Colyer, “That was a charge we always intended to indict (Pilley Jr.) on, but we had to wait for a grand jury.”
Pilley Jr.’s charges were temporarily downgraded to second-degree murder while grand juries were not convening because of the pandemic. But the first-degree charge was restored late last year.
On Jan. 5, chief judges for Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties announced that jury trials would be suspended after the counties saw a steep increase in their weekly virus positivity rates over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
“(County wide positivity rates) is one of the three factors that Chief Judge (Anthony) Rondolino takes into consideration when deciding whether or not we can conduct jury summons and bring them in to do jury trials,” Colyer said.
“The numbers from Thanksgiving and Christmas and into the new year have gone up substantially over the threshold where we can hold jury trials. Until we see the numbers start to drop for a sustained period of time, we won’t be able to continue jury trials.”
Colyer said she is “not overly optimistic” that Pilley Jr.’s trial will begin as scheduled in April.
Once trials resume, rescheduling will be based on their level of priority. Custody cases will have priority, as well as a large number of cases where defendants have not waived their right to a speedy trial.
The right to a speedy trial means that a criminal defendant must be brought to trial within a reasonable amount of time and was not applicable while jury trials were suspended.
Since Pilley Jr. has not waived his speedy trial rights and is in custody for a high-priority case, he will be considered high priority when trials resume, according to Colyer. “They don’t want us doing big cases that require a lot of witnesses,” leaving the timeline for Pilley Jr.’s trial unsure.
Two other people accompanied Pilley Jr. at the murder scene, but there have been no other arrests, Colyer said. “There are many facets that are still under investigation and all possible leads and suspects are still being investigated at this time,” she said.
The Owen Chance Melin Memorial Foundation held a fundraiser called Chance Fest on Nov. 21 to raise money for a scholarship to honor Owen Melin’s memory. The scholarship will be awarded to psychology juniors and seniors who demonstrate financial need and good academic standing.
Owen Melin’s father, Charles Melin, said the fundraiser made approximately $7,000 of its $10,000 goal.
The Melin family hopes to commemorate Owen Melin’s “life and passion for helping others” through the scholarship, according to the foundation’s Facebook page.
