She knew that the former basketball star who killed her 22-year-old daughter almost 12 years ago took a plea deal that meant he would spend less time in prison, but June Woods had no idea that the Fulton County district attorney had cut a deal to make Javaris Crittenton a free man even sooner.
“That wasn’t fair for the family not to know what Paul Howard was doing,” Woods told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday. “I would’ve spoken up then. It’s not fair to us. It’s not fair to her children what he did.”
Her family was having a party outside in August 2011 when Woods heard gunshots. Her daughter, who had just returned from putting her four children to bed, had been shot. Jullian Jones died from her injuries.
“If her children would’ve been out there, he would’ve shot them, too,” Woods said.
On Friday, the 35-year-old former Georgia Tech and NBA standout walked out of Wilcox State Prison, his home for the past eight years, thanks to a deal made with former DA Howard. Current DA Fani Willis had stepped in last week and tried to stop Crittenton’s early release, but Judge Charles Eaton said the original deal would stand.
“This was a deal, an agreement, a written agreement between the prosecution and the defense,” Eaton said. “And just as I expect anybody in this courtroom to adhere to their agreements, whether it’s conditions of bonds or conditions of probations, I would expect them to adhere to it as well.”
Crittenton and his cousin and co-defendant, Douglas Gamble, were initially charged with murder, felony murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and participation in criminal street gang activity. They pleaded guilty to lesser charges. Gamble, who was with Crittenton at the time of the shooting, was sentenced to three years in custody.
Crittenton accepted his plea deal in 2015 during jury selection for his trial and was sentenced to 23 years. Howard — who is the uncle of ex-NBA star Dwight Howard, Crittenton’s former high school teammate — then made another deal. If Crittenton could prove he’d learned from his mistakes, his sentence would be reduced to 10 years if he could teach others not to make the mistakes he had.
In January 2016, Crittenton’s attorney, Brian Steel, filed the motion required to have the sentence modified when the time came. On April 13, Crittenton appeared at a hearing via Zoom from his prison cell to determine whether he could be released. Prior to his plea deal, he had served time in the Fulton jail. That, added to the time served in prison, was equal to 10 years.
Steel did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case Monday.
But the deal itself was questionable, according to a veteran prosecutor, former longtime Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter.
“There’s no question that there was favoritism,” Porter, who was not involved in the case, said Monday. “There’s no question he got preferential treatment. This is not a typical plea deal.”
Porter said the victim’s family should have been notified when Howard made the deal to allow Crittenton out of prison early.
“It’s like a slap in the face to us,” Woods said.
Crittenton said he’s not a “stone-cold” killer. And he knows his apology doesn’t ease the pain he caused when he killed Jones.
“I’ve been remorseful ever since I found out what happened that night. I think about it every day,” Crittenton said during the April 13 hearing. “And I can’t take it back. I beat myself down for years. I cried for years. I prayed for forgiveness for years until I realized I can’t do anything about it. I can’t undo the situation. I can’t change it, no matter how much I want to.”
Woods spoke during that hearing, telling the court Crittenton should serve his entire sentence.
“People were talking about what they could do for Javaris, but they’re not talking about what they can do about the kids,” Woods said. “She has four kids. One is 16, one’s 15, one’s 14, one’s 12.”
She’s now raising two of her grandchildren. The younger two are with their father, Woods said.
“They always think about their mom,” Woods said. “Their mom is a major part of their life. And what he took from them wasn’t even fair.”
Crittenton said he hadn’t planned to speak during the hearing. But listening to Woods changed his mind.
In early 2014, Jones’ family filed a civil suit against Crittenton. But the two sides settled for an undisclosed amount, court records show.
The former Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Mr. Basketball” and high school star at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2007. He was traded during his rookie year to the Memphis Grizzlies. By 2009, he was making headlines for pulling a gun on a teammate. Later, he was a gang member.
When he shot Jones, Crittenton believed he was firing at someone who had previously robbed him, he later said.
“I apologize to the family,” he said recently in court. “I know that’s not going to make them forgive me more. It’s not going to change the situation. But I’m not a stone-cold killer. I’m not a person that kills, like whatever you say don’t faze me or I laugh about it. I’ve been in pain for years. My family knows this. I know. My lawyer knows this. But I can’t change anything, other than helping somebody else.”
Eaton then granted Crittenton’s early release, telling the court that despite the senseless act, the former basketball star can help others. Crittenton, who will serve 30 years on probation, must complete 7,200 hours of community service in 10 years and wear a monitoring system at his expense for the next five years, according to the terms of the deal.
Within hours of Eaton’s decision, Willis filed the motion to try to keep the original sentence and Crittenton in prison. At a hearing a week later, that request was denied.
By Friday evening, Crittenton was free.
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