Jerrico "Re Re" Hawthorne and attorney Amanda Dunn
A witness testified Tuesday in Criminal Court that she was sitting by the sidewalk on July 27, 2011, when she saw two black males walk by, then she heard what she first thought was firecrackers. She said the pair exited the residence of James Fredrick "J Money" Williams and Yetta Harris, then sauntered back by before hurriedly getting in an older-model, four-door white car.
Nellie Brown said the car earlier had been going up and down the area at Lyerly and 17th streets for from 45 minutes to an hour. She said after the shooting the car skidded up and someone hollered, "Jump in and go, go, go."
Williams was shot 14 times and was dead at the scene, while Ms. Harris was initially in critical condition with three bullets in her. She lived to testify in General Sessions Court against Jerrico "Re Re" Hawthorne and Angelo Napoleon Justice, who were charged in the murder.
Hawthorne is on trial in the courtroom of Judge Rebecca Stern. The trial for Justice is set in two weeks.
Ms. Brown said one of the men who walked by her had long dreads. Other witnesses said that was Hawthorne.
She said after the pair left in a hurry she went to investigate the "fireworks." She said she and her cousin, Preston "Pete" Matthews, found that Ms. Harris had collapsed at her front door after hollering, "Pete, Pete, help me."
Officer Gary Frisbee said he found Ms. Harris still lying at the front door with "a huge wad of vomit coming from her mouth and puddles of blood under her." He said he found Matthews holding the lifeless Williams.
The officer said there were numerous shell casings and projectiles scattered around the small house after the late-night shooting, and there were also baggies of crack cocaine. Witnesses said no money was found at the residence at 1706 E. 17th St.
Officer Frisbee said he asked Ms. Harris who shot her and she said, "RiRi did this to me."
A TBI Crime Lab expert said eight shell casings and seven bullets sent to her all belonged to a 32 caliber semi-automatic handgun.
Earlier in 2011, charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault and aggravated burglary were dismissed against Justice in Criminal Court. He got a two-year suspended sentence on a plea to possession of a prohibited weapon.
In 2006, Hawthorne was charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault in a "gang-related" shooting at East Lake Courts in which two people were shot.
Hawthorne was later ordered to serve six years in prison for that and another incident with a gun in 2006.
Hawthorne earlied pleaded guilty to hitting a woman in the head with a gun and to firing into a group of Crips gang members while he was out on bond on the first case.
Hawthorne at the time was only 20 but had already been behind bars for four years.
Hawthorne got two consecutive three-year sentences. He had already served two years in jail toward the sentence.
Prior to those arrests, Hawthorne had just gotten out of serving two years in the Taft Youth Center.
His juvenile record also includes selling crack cocaine and several theft charges, including three cases of theft over $10,000.
Prosecutors Lance Pope and Cameron Williams