A kidnapping and robbery suspect accused of victimizing a Good Samaritan will soon have his fate decided by a Spokane jury.

Jason P. Shepard, 33, is accused of conning a 20-year-old Spokane woman into thinking he needed gas to see his sick baby, then forcing her into her car and stealing her debit card and cell phone. Shepard was arrested shortly after the May incident.

Now a jury of 12 will decide whether to convict Shepard on charges of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree robbery and second-degree theft in a trial that began today in Spokane County Superior Court.

The prosecution’s star witness, Brittany C. Fields, testified this morning.

Fields was gassing up her car at the Albertson’s station at 6616 N. Nevada about 12:50 a.m. May 6 when Shepard asked for $5 to gas up his car, according to a report by Spokane police Detective Mark Burbridge.

Read the rest of my story in tomorrow's Spokesman-Review.

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