As jury selection resumed ▼ in Brandon Bradley's murder trial in Brevard County, a special dedication was held to honor the deputy he's accused of killing exactly two years ago Thursday.
Deputy Barbara Pill's memory will live on with the dedication of a new building, the Barbara A. Pill Law Enforcement Facility, in Titusville.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and members of the Sheriff's Office are set to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new building Thursday shortly before 11:15 a.m., at the exact time Pill was shot on March 6, 2012.
Pill's family cut the ribbon at 11:36 a.m., the exact time the deputy was killed two years ago during a traffic stop in Melbourne. Pill was responding to a hotel robbery and stopped a vehicle Bradley was driving in Melbourne. Prosecutors contend Bradley shot the deputy several times.
Ivey said the new building is a way to ensure Deputy Pill's impact on the community will live on through the years.
"People will always remember Barbara for being such a kind person, for being an incredible deputy, for being an incredible mom, even being an incredible community leader. But this building is a chance for her legacy to live forever, and every deputy, every citizen that walks through that door will forever remember what Barbara meant to this community," said Sheriff Ivey.
Steve Pill, Barbara's widower, said the new building is a true dedication to the work his wife did during her years with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.
"I don't know what she would say, but it's a great memorial and a testament to what people thought of her," Steve Pill said.
"Barbara just meant the world to everybody," said Ivey. "She was that person that you could always go to and talk to about something going on in your life. She was that person you knew that would always be there for you, always be your backup, and I think this building is just a tremendous testament to not only what Barbara stood for, but how everything she stood for it relates to our agency."
The new facility, on Columbia Boulevard, will house the Sheriff's Office North Precinct operations for patrol deputies, the general crime unit, analysts, volunteers and citizens observer patrol. The facility will service all of northern Brevard County, including Titusville, Port St. John and Mims.
The building's lobby contains a motorcycle with Deputy Pill's portrait. The Pills loved to take motorcycle trips across the country.
Bradley trial resumes after courthouse standoff
After three days off and a deadly standoff that shut down the Brevard County Courthouse on Friday, jury selection in Brandon Bradley's first-degree murder trial resumed Thursday.
Bradley watched as a third group of more than 50 possible jurors entered the courtroom. The new jury pool was asked about any hardships, including work conflicts and medical conditions, that might prevent them from serving during what's expected to be a lengthy trial, estimated to last about five weeks.
Deputy Barbara Pill's widower, Steve Pill, entered the courtroom Thursday for the first time since jury selection began following the dedication of the new Sheriff's Office facility in his wife's name in Titusville.
One juror of the 26 already selected for the pool had to be dismissed, because they were suffering from cancer.
As the jury selection process resumed, last Friday's incident outside the courthouse was still on people's minds.
Deputies shot and killed Robert Striffler after a long standoff in the courthouse parking lot. It was later found that the gun Striffler was holding was an airsoft replica pistol.
With more than two dozen potential jurors on a short list, The judge said she hopes to begin opening statements by Monday.