LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – The courtroom was standing room only. Officer Nick Rodman's family, friends, and fellow law enforcement packed in for the first pretrial conference for the suspect in his murder, Wathaniel Woods.
Woods is charged with murder, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, wanton endangerment, trafficking a controlled substance and a number of other charges stemming from a police chase on March 28.
The high-speed chase that started after LMPD responded to a call of a woman being beaten by the father of her child and shots being fired at 26th and Madison Streets ended with the suspect, Woods, crashing into Officer Rodman's police cruiser at an estimated speed of 78 miles per hour. Officer Rodman later died at the hospital.
One of the prosecutors on this case, Elizabeth Jones Brown, said the large bulk of discovery in the case has been filed. It includes evidence like body camera footage from responding officers, audio interviews with those officers and witnesses, crime scene pictures and videos, and a 417-page report on the investigation.
"We anticipate there will be additional discovery along the way. I know the autopsy is not there we will have some more analysis of crash data," Jones Brown said.
Jones Brown also announced that they plan to file an additional charge against Woods for a pedestrian allegedly hit by Woods during the chase, but they are waiting for medical records and an indictment.
Some of the officers we spoke with described the day as emotional.
"There are so many murder cases where there are a lot of loved ones in the courtroom and it is always emotional, so I mean, I think their presence speaks for itself," Jones Brown said.
The next pretrial conference is scheduled for July 14.