Jonathan Redding declined to testify Friday on whether he murdered a popular Grant Park bartender in a brutal armed robbery that made crime a major issue in the last Atlanta mayoral election.
Redding had the numeral 30 tattooed on his face to signify his allegiance to 30 Deep, then just a shadowy street gang that became notorious for robberies, burglaries and then killings. On Friday, dressed in a suit-and-tie, he sounded much younger than his 19 years when Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Adams asked him if wanted to take the witness stand.
"I don't want to testify," he mumbled in a soft voice.
His lawyer, Liz Markowitz, admitted to jurors during closing arguments that Redding was a member of the gang but she contended prosecutors were using guilt by association to blame him for the murder of John Henderson during an armed robbery of the Standard Food & Spirits on Jan. 7, 2009.
She contended while her client's blood was on a Smith & Wesson pistol that was tied to the robbery, they had provided no evidence that Redding was in the tavern during the robbery and murder. She contended prosecutors hadn't even proved Redding possessed the gun that was used in all three crimes for which he faces multiple charges.
That was too much for prosecutor Gabe Banks.
"The evidentiary value of this gun is astronomical,” he told jurors. "The defendanthad the gun because his blood is on the gun."
The gun is the linchpin for the the prosecution's case. It was fired during a separate armed robbery outside the Standard on Dec. 21, 2008, and investigators matched the bullet from the robbery to the pistol. A bullet from the same gun wounded the 27-year-old Henderson in the leg during the fatal robbery 16 days later, although he died from a bullet fired from a different gun. Two day later, police recovered the gun with Redding's blood on it in an apartment after a botched robbery of a drug dealer during which Redding was wounded.
Robin McMillian was the victim who placed the gun in Redding's hand. McMillian identified Redding in a photographic line up as the man who fired at him during the December robbery outside the tavern. Markowitz argued "guns get passed around" but, more importantly, the original description that McMillian provided to police didn't at all match Redding.
She said that Redding, who was age 17 and 125 pounds at the time of his arrest, was much smaller than any of the descriptions given of the gunman or other suspects the night of the McMillian robbery.
"He has got a baby face. He looks like a kid now and he is 19," Markowitz said. "That is another reason for which you can attach a reasonable doubt and must acquit. He doesn't match the description."
Banks urged jurors not to be fooled by Redding's appearance. He argued that Redding's real face was one of a wolf and his pack was 30 Deep. He argued that fear of Redding caused one witness, who had told police Redding admitted being part of the robbery crew that killed Henderson, to change her story when she testified in court.
"She sees the wolf from the witness stand in this suit," Banks said. "Don't be fooled by this wolf. Don't allow the wolf to return to his pack."
The jury is expected to begin deliberations on Monday.
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