Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton, who was arrested earlier this week on drug charges, faced a new court action Friday in the form of a wrongful death suit.
Crittenton, who starred at Georgia Tech before playing for several professional teams, was already facing criminal murder charges in the shooting death of Julian Jones, an Atlanta mother of four.
Wednesday, he was arrested on drug charges in violation of his bond release on that 2011 murder charge
On Friday, Jones’ mother filed the civil complaint against Crittenton in Fulton County State Court, hoping to help provide for Jones’ children, her attorney said.
“It’s terribly unlikely he’ll have assets to satisfy the complaint,” wrongful death attorney Roger Orlando told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution by phone Friday morning. “There are four beautiful children that need help. If we can recover anything, it will help those children.”
Jones was killed the night of Aug. 19, 2011, in southeast Atlanta by someone with a high-caliber rifle, police said.
Prosecutors said Crittenton was the gunman, and he is charged with murder, aggravated assault and criminal gang activity. Authorities allege that he was attempting to retaliate against a rival gang member he believed robbed him at an earlier date.
In September 2011, a Fulton County judge released Crittenton on a $230,000 bond.
This past October, Crittenton was accused of trying to intimidate the assistant district attorney prosecuting the murder case. A judge then imposed a 7 p.m.-to-7 a.m. curfew.
On Jan. 10, Crittenton was indicted along with 13 co-defendants on drug charges dating to June 2012 — when he was free on bond awaiting the murder trial. He was arrested Wednesday morning at his Fayette County home.
Thursday, he waived his first court appearance for the drug charges and will remain in the Fulton County Jail, authorities said.
Crittenton’s attorney, Brian Steel, declared his client’s innocence Thursday. He was not immediately available for comment Friday.
On Friday, Orlando said he intends to freeze Crittenton’s assets and go after homes in Fayette and Fulton counties that Orlando claims were shifted to Crittenton’s mother’s name.
“The first thing I will do is say that he fraudulently transferred homes over to his mother in event of potential litigation,” Orlando said. “I will ask the court to transfer them back.”
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