Trial begins for men accused of killing beloved Brooks’ Sandwich House co-owner

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A trial almost six years in the making has finally started for the men accused of robbing and killing Scott Brooks, the co-owner of the popular NoDa restaurant, Brooks Sandwich House.

Based on discussions on Monday between the lawyers and the judge, the trial could take up to five weeks.

The judge plans to rule on the final pre-trial motion first thing Tuesday and then jury selection will begin.

Monday was spent on pre-trial motions.

The media is not allowed to have a camera in the courtroom until jury selection is over.

MORE | Brooks’ Sandwich House updates hours during trial for co-owner’s alleged killers

Steven Staples and Terry Connor, Jr. have both pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon.

Scott Brooks was shot and killed in December 2019, just as he was opening Brooks Sandwich House for the day.

Scott’s twin brother, David Brooks, the burger shop’s co-owner, has been waiting for almost six years for the trial to start.

He says he forgives Staples and Connor, Jr., but he wants justice, and he hopes they get life in prison without parole.

“When I open my Bible, I see my brother. When I say my prayers, I see my brother. When I open my business, I see my brother and so many other people do too because he was such a people person. He never met a stranger. I don’t know what happened between him and the defendants, but I hope maybe there was a positive conversation between the time that they met and the time that he died,” said David Brooks outside the courthouse during a break from the trial on Monday.

The judge denied the defense’s motion today to continue the trial to a later date.

One of the reasons the defense wanted the trial continued is because they said prosecutors had recently requested about 50,000 phone call recordings combined that the two defendants made from the jail over the last almost six years, and they wanted a chance to review those calls.

Queen City News also learned in court Monday afternoon that the prosecution plans to call David Brooks to testify early in the trial.

David Brooks did not witness the crime, but prosecutors say they’ll call him to testify about some of the business operations and the impact of the death of his twin brother on his family.