Rodney Jennings, 29, chose to represent himself during his sentencing hearing in Judge Tom Greenholtz’s courtroom on Thursday. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his charge of second-degree murder.
In April, a Criminal Court jury found Jennings guilty of the January 2014 slaying of Raphael White at East Lake Courts. Jennings had said he’d acted in self-defense, believing the victim had a handgun wrapped in a black bandanna. Though a black bandanna was found at the shooting scene, no gun was recovered. Witnesses testified that Mr. White was unarmed and made no threats.
Jennings filed the motion to represent himself on the eve of the sentencing hearing. He told Judge Greenholtz that he had been reading criminal law and was confident in his ability to proceed.
“It ain’t as complicated as I thought it would be, so I ain’t afraid no more,” he said. “I feel in my heart that it’s the right decision.”
The defendant said after his trial he realized how he had been wronged and felt more comfortable presenting his own defense. When offered council other than his attorney Brandy Spurgin, he said he did not trust the state or anything they had to offer him.
“If I’m gonna get railroaded or done wrong by the system, I’d rather make my own decisions. That way I can sleep well at night,” he said.
Judge Greenholtz repeatedly offered the defendant the opportunity to take additional time to prepare for his hearing, insisting that the proceeding would “affect the rest of (his) life.” However, Jennings turned down the offers, saying, “I’m ready to get it over with. I’m ready to go.”
Prosecutor Kristen Spires spoke to Tina White, mother of the victim, who read an emotional piece about the effect of her son’s death on her life. In the middle of her testimony, she had to leave the room momentarily because she was sobbing.
“Being a mother, the loss of my son has been the most devastating incident in my life. No parent should outlive they child, especially when their child was murdered. … I am afraid it will never go away. … I have to live with it forever,” she said. “I will remember him as an infant, a toddler, a little boy, a teenager, a young man, but I would never know the man he would become because his life was taken away from him, and he have three children left behind without a father.”
Ms. White said every day is still a struggle and she is still “deeply in grief.
“I feel so sick in the morning. When I wake, I realize again the reality that he’s gone,” she said. “He was just going over there to help his cousin, and Mr. Jennings shot him in the chest.”
However, she told the court that though she hoped Jennings would be punished to the full extent of the law, she had forgiven him and was no longer angry.
Jennings did not participate in cross examinations or call any witnesses.
Judge Greenholtz pointed out that even after Ms. White’s testimony, the defendant still had not expressed remorse in the courtroom.
Jennings’ charge of possession of a firearm with a violent felony conviction, as well as a separate assault charge, was dismissed.
He told the court he intends to file a motion for a new trial.