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August trial date set for fatal hunting accident

MAYVILLE — An August trial date has been set for a Sherman man charged with manslaughter in the November shooting of a woman he reportedly mistook for a deer.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Aug. 7 in front of County Court Judge David Foley in Mayville. Thomas Jadlowski, 34, pleaded not guilty in November after he was indicted by a grand jury on charges of second-degree manslaughter and hunting after dark in the shooting death of 43-year-old Rosemary Billquist.

Jadlowski told police he mistook Billquist for a deer when he fired a single shot after dark Nov. 22 near Armenian Road in Sherman. The shot struck Billquist, who was rushed to an Erie, Pa., hospital and later pronounced dead.

Billquist was walking her two dogs when the incident occurred.

A meeting was held Friday in Foley’s chambers between the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office and Jadlowski’s defense to discuss the date for the upcoming trial. Jadlowski is being represented by Fredonia attorney Michael Cerrie, who did not return a call for comment.

Friday’s announcement comes more than a month after Patrick Swanson, Chautauqua County district attorney, announced charges against Jadlowski during a heavily reported press conference in Mayville.

Swanson, who called the shooting a “tragedy,” said his office assisted the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office and state Department of Environmental Conservation with the investigation.

The grand jury indictment came about a week after the shooting amid national attention. Stories of Billquist’s death appeared, among elsewhere, in the New York Times, Washington Post and People magazine. Jamie Billquist at the time said his wife “loved life and was an angel.”

On Friday, Jamie Billquist said he remains committed to “keeping her memory alive” through foundations established in Rosemary Billquist’s name with the help of her former employer, UPMC Chautauqua WCA, and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. Two 5K runs — June 3 in Sherman and June 9 in Falconer — will aid the foundations with scholarships and programs.

Jamie Billquist called the announcement of the trial date “just another step in the process.” He said if the case goes to trial he plans to be there every day.

“I want to be the face of her,” he told the OBSERVER on Friday. “If I have to take off work that’s fine. I want people to see the other side of this tragedy.”

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