Javaris Crittenton face a Fulton County judge today in Atlanta and was given a $230,000 bond and will have to wear an ankle monitor.
Crittenton is charged with malice murder, aggravated assault and gun possession in the Aug. 19 shooting death of Julian Jones. Police allege that Crittenton shot Jones accidentally; he intended to shoot a man in a group with her who he believed had stolen jewelry from him, police say.
At a hearing in Fulton County Superior Court, police said witnesses picked Crittenton out of a photo lineup.
Atlanta Police homicide detective James Thorpe testified that a man with Jones at the time of the shooting said he had a “good, clear look” at the gunman.
Judge Karen Woodson rejected a request by Crittenton’s attorney, Brian Steel, that all charges be dismissed because, he said, police had no physical evidence.
According to ESPN.com, the judge allowed Crittenton to go free on $230,000 bond after hearing hours of testimony from Crittenton’s pastor, a former teach, friends and coaches. She also ordered former Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt and others who testified on his behalf to co-sign the bond.
As suspected, Julian Jones’ family was upset about the bond. We don’t whether Crittention is guilty or not, but I hope the killer – whoever he/she is – will be prosecuted to the fullest so the Jones family can have some closure.
It’ll be interesting to see how well the eye witness testimony will swing this case. Eyes witness testimony being used to determined a guilty verdict has fueled debates in the aftermath of the Troy Davis case. Davis was executed last week for the murder of a police officer in Savannah, GA. Seven of the nine witnesses in that case who had identified Davis in court as a killer two decades ago had tried years later to take it all back. There was no physical evidence to prove that Davis was the killer.
We’ll continue to keep you updated on this case.