Family of bartender slaying suspect releases statement

By STAFF REPORTS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The family of Jonathan Redding, the teenager accused of killing bartender John Henderson in a Jan. 7 robbery at Standard Food & Spirits, has spoken publicly for the first time since his arrest last week.

Jonathan Redding

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In a statement released Wednesday, the family expressed "our condolences to any victims hurt in this incident; also our prayers and thoughts are with them as they deal with this tragedy."

The statement went on to say that Redding, 17, "is not the monster that he has been portrayed to be but was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jonathan has strong family values and ties, and we feel he is currently a victim of the judicial system."

The family statement also denied reports in some media outlets that Jonathan Redding is related to George Redding, who is currently serving a prison sentence for a fatal shooting outside an Atlanta bar in June 2007.

"George Redding is not Jonathan's brother as previously and wrongly reported," the statement said. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution did not report that the two were related.