Fourteen years after fatally shooting a young mother of four, former Los Angeles Lakers player and Atlanta native Javaris Crittenton is being sued by her children.
Crittenton, who also played basketball for Georgia Tech, spent around 10 years in custody after he fired at a man and instead hit 22-year-old Jullian Jones in August 2011. Sentenced in Fulton County to 23 years in prison, Crittenton was released early in April 2023 after a judge ruled he had learned from his mistakes.
Jones’ four children were very young when she died and have been waiting for Crittenton to leave prison before filing a wrongful death lawsuit against him, said their lawyer, Roger Orlando. He said children have until they are 20 years old to bring such a case in Georgia.
“We’ll never know what Ms. Jones would have become,” Orlando told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Certainly, there’s a financial loss. And there’s the loss that you can’t put a value on.”
Crittenton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Orlando said he does not expect Crittenton to have much in the way of money or assets that could satisfy a judgment in the case. He said he’s helping Jones’ family because it is the right thing to do.
“It’s a case that needs to be brought to scream for accountability and for more answers for those four children,” he said.
Crittenton admitted shooting Jones as part of a plea deal in 2015. He said her death was a horrible accident. He was convicted and sentenced on charges of voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault.
Police said Jones was killed in a drive-by shooting outside her southeast Atlanta home on Aug. 19, 2011. Crittenton’s lawyer in the criminal case said Crittenton fired at a man he thought had robbed him.
The lawsuit, filed last week in Fulton County, says Jones was walking with two companions when she was shot in the hip and thigh around 9.49 p.m. by Crittenton, who was in a black Chevrolet SUV. Jones was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead around 11:34 p.m. as a result of her gunshot wounds, the complaint says.
At least one witness identified Crittenton as the shooter, the lawsuit says. It seeks compensation for Jones’ medical and burial expenses as well as damages reflecting the value of her life, among other things.
Orlando said Jones’ children have been looked after by relatives.
Crittenton is separately seeking millions of dollars from Fulton County, alleging in a lawsuit filed earlier this year that he was injured in a car collision less than two months after being released from prison.
In his complaint, Crittenton said he was driving his Mercedes SUV on Campbellton Road in Atlanta when he was hit by another driver and a Fulton County police officer in pursuit.
The county has denied liability. That case is still pending in Fulton County Superior Court.
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