Trial opens in Walhalla

A 17-year old man went on trial today in the Oconee General Sessions Court, charged with the attempted murder of his 32-year old cousin. Laquavius Cleveland is also charged with possession of a knife during a violent crime. In an opening statement to the jury, Deputy Solicitor David Wagner accused Cleveland of stabbing Hykeen Kirkland 11 times—when a deal between the two went sour. According to Wagner, Cleveland had wanted to buy a gun and a bag of marijuana from his cousin. The first witness, businesswoman Cindy Blackwell, the described profuse bleeding of a man she found on the stoop of her Shiloh Road produce stand on July 8, 2013.