Trial of Brunswick man in 2024 fatal Columbia Township bar shooting starts today

ELYRIA — Jurors will hear opening statements today in Lorain County Common Pleas Court in the case of a Medina County man accused of shooting and killing a Cuyahoga County man in a Columbia Township bar in May 2024. Fourteen jurors — 10 women and four men — were chosen Tuesday to hear the state's murder case against James A. Stewart Jr. Judge Chris Cook is presiding over the case. He said opening statements would start at about 9 a.m. today. Before letting them go for the day on Tuesday, Cook told jurors the trial would feature "more witnesses than normal." Stewart, 42, of Brunswick, reportedly shot and killed Jason Kleinman, 49, of Olmsted Falls on May 10, 2024, after a fight at Joker's Pub and Grub on Sprague Road. He is charged with three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and one count illegal possession of a firearm in a liquor permit premises, all felonies with firearms and forfeiture specifications. There also are misdemeanor charges of assault and using weapons while intoxicated. Stewart's defense is that he shot Kleinman in self-defense or in the defense of others. To win its case, the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office has the burden to prove Stewart didn't act in self-defense or defense of others. Multiple charges of murder can be filed even if there is only one victim. Each charge may allege a killing happened through a different course of action or conduct. Stewart is free on bond with conditions including house arrest, GPS monitoring, no contact with Kleinman's family and no access to guns. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Chris Pierre and Assistant Prosecutor Daniellela Leigh are prosecuting. Stewart is represented by attorney Mike Stepanik. Two of the 14 jurors will be randomly chosen as alternates at the end of the case, leaving 12 jurors to deliberate Stewart's fate. Authorities said Stewart shot Kleinman with a 9 mm handgun, and also allegedly assaulted another victim at the bar during a fight. The Lorain County Sheriff's Office investigated the case. In a previous court hearing, Pierre said Stewart told deputies he left the bar, got the gun from his truck and took it back inside the bar after he learned information that made him fear for his safety. Unconfirmed eyewitness accounts posted online following the shooting said Kleinman was shot and killed trying to separate two patrons who were fighting. A Rhode Island native and father of six, Kleinman owned Majestic Remodeling in Avon Lake and was a motorcycle enthusiast, according to his obituary. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.