The first-degree murder trial of Jeffrey Wade Chapman will resume Monday morning. It is expected to wrap up before the end of the week.
  Jurors went home early Friday, taking the afternoon off so defense attorney Kurt Kerns could attend to a death in his family. Attorneys for the prosecution, Assistant Attorney General Steven Karrer and Barton County Assistant Attorney Amy Mellor, are expected to call more witnesses starting at 9 a.m. Monday.
   Chapman is accused of killing Damon Galyardt, 25, who was fatally shot on Nov. 11, 2011. His body was moved to a ditch in the county, southwest of Great Bend, and found by hunters on the morning of Nov. 12.
   Kerns has already told the jury that Chapman won’t deny shooting Galyardt, as he will raise self-defense as a defense against the charge of first-degree murder or less-serious alternatives. The defense will argue that use of deadly force is permitted by law when a person is reasonably in fear for his own life. Kerns also told jurors that Chapman plans to testify this week.
   The trial began last Monday with three days spent selecting a jury of 12 men and women plus four alternates. Witnesses include Barton County Coroner Dr. Edward L. Jones, who estimated he has performed some 8,000 autopsies during his career. Galyardt’s autopsy was performed in Great Bend at what was then St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center. Today, there is no county morgue, and autopsies are done in Hays or Wichita.
   Jones testified Thursday that the absence of burns or charring around the bullet wound indicated the gun barrel was not touching the victim as it was fired. “It probably was close, but not actual contact,” he said.
   The Kansas Bureau of Investigation first approached Cody Ford for an interview on Nov. 18, 2011, at Galyart’s funeral. Ford testified he had lived with Galyardt and talked to him a day or two before his death.
   “He said somebody was after him and they wanted to kill him,” Ford said. Asked if he knew who Galyardt was talking about, Ford answered, “Chapman.”