Former officer charged with murder due in court

A former Rocky Ford police officer charged with second-degree murder is due in court Wednesday for a motions hearing.

James Ashby pleaded not guilty in February to the charges against him. The shooting death of Jack Jacquez, 27, happened while Ashby was on duty in October 2014. Ashby was fired from the Rocky Ford Police Department after his arrest.

A jury trial is slated to begin in January 2016.

Ashby told investigators that he stopped Jacquez near his home and followed him inside, saying he thought Jacquez might be a burglar and that Jacquez was armed with a bat. His account was contradicted by a man doing a police ride-along with him and forensic evidence that showed Jacquez was shot in the back while moving away from the officer.

The motions hearings are expected to last three days.