Family mourns as NBA player Crittenton still sought in murder

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The longtime boyfriend of Jullian Jones had planned to give the 23-year-old a ring the same night she was killed in a drive-by shooting, he told the AJC. But he never got the chance.

Jones, a mother of four, died Aug. 19 after being shot outside her Macon Drive home in southeast Atlanta. Former Georgia Tech star Javaris Crittenton is wanted in her death, Atlanta police said Friday. But he's still on the run, police said Sunday afternoon.

Crittenton, 23, a former NBA player and first-round pick out by the Los Angeles Lakers, is believed to be in California. Atlanta detectives are working with the FBI to take him into custody.

Police say Crittenton reported being robbed of jewelry April 21 and may have thought a person on the sidewalk was responsible.

“It appears Mr. Crittenton observed who he thought was the perpetrator walking down the street," Major Keith Meadows told the AJC Friday. "It so happens Miss Jones was walking down the street at the same time."

But Jones was outside talking to neighbors and had just put the kids to bed, Harel Butler, Jones' boyfriend, told the AJC. Butler said he had dropped Jones off about 30 minutes earlier, and the two planned to go out later that evening on a date. Butler said he and Jones had been together nearly 10 years, and he had bought an engagement ring he planned to give her.

"I never got a chance to do that," Butler said.

Several witnesses told police the shots were fired from a black Chevrolet Tahoe. Jones and Butler's children heard the shots from their bedroom, Butler said.

Jones was struck in the leg and later died during surgery. Two men with Jones fled and were not injured, and investigators now believe one of those men was the intended target.

Crittenton was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft and was traded his rookie year to the Memphis Grizzlies.

While playing for the Washington Wizards, Crittenton was involved in a December 2009 locker room incident with then-teammate Gilbert Arenas in which the two pulled guns on each other. On Jan. 25, 2010, Crittenton pleaded guilty and was given a year of probation on a misdemeanor gun possession charge. Two days later, Crittenton and Arenas were suspended for the rest of the season.

Crittenton wasn't re-signed by the Wizards. The Charlotte Bobcats signed him to a non-guaranteed contract before last season, but he was waived Oct. 15. He has joined the NBA Development League's Dakota Wizards.

Crittenton is a former AJC "Mr. Basketball" and high school star at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He is originally from Atlanta and still has ties to the area, Meadows said.

Property records show Crittenton owns a home in Fayetteville.

"I'm a little at a loss for words because, knowing what he went through in Washington with the whole gun stuff, that's the first thing that comes to mind," former Georgia Tech and NBA star Dennis Scott told the AJC. "And then secondly, if all the allegations that we're hearing are true with the retaliation that police are trying to figure out, why put yourself in a situation like that?"

Butler said he and other family members were shocked to learn Friday night Crittenton was suspected of killing Jones, whose funeral was Saturday.

"Someone that was high caliber, I didn't think he'd be doing something like that," Butler said. "No matter what the situation is or what was stolen, he took a life. You can't never put a price on life."