Cracker Barrel beating case goes before a jury
Opening statements began this morning in the case against Troy Dale West, who prosecutors say savagely beat a female army reservist in front of her daughter at a Jonesboro Cracker Barrel restaurant.
Taking the stand first was the alleged victim, Tasha Hill, who is being painted by West’s attorney, Tony Axam, as a hot head. In poking holes at her character and credibility, Axam tried to paint her as a bully, citing a 2005 fight and a recent incident in which she supposedly threatened some of her neighbors after her home was burglarized.
Clayton County District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson told the jury that none of that was relevant in this particular case. She said that West beat up Hill, while screaming racial epithets at her.
“The whole purpose is to divert you from what happened, to make you dislike the victim so much that you will say she deserved what happened to her,” Lawson said. “Please focus on what happened.”
West is being charged with aggravated assault, false imprisonment and battery over the September 2009 incident. If convicted, he could face more that 10 years in prison.
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
