Adrian Nixon
A Criminal Court jury deliberated on Friday afternoon and deep into the night before finding Adrian Nixon not guilty of the murder of Jeremy "Blue" Clark.
The panel was hung up on the misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment and was to return on Monday for more talks on that charge.
Nixon has been in jail since his arrest shortly after the incident at J.J.'s Lounge in East Chattanooga on July 29, 2016. He was released from jail after the not-guilty murder verdict.
The victim was shot five times, including in the head and through the heart.
Nixon claimed that "Blue" had come up to his girlfriend's white Dodge Challenger when someone came up from behind and began shooting through the car he was driving.
Nothing was brought out in the trial about any animosity between Nixon and Clark. Nixon said he shook Clark's hand inside the club and had no beef with him. He said it would have been "stupid" for him to drive up and carry out the shooting at the bar where many people knew him and the car he drove. A forensic scientist called by the defense said there would have been powder burns on the victim if the driver of the car had been the shooter.
The medical examiner said it was unlikely the shooting could have happened the way Nixon said, and detective Taylor Walker told him during his voluntary interview that his account "doesn't make any sense." The detective said during the 12 hours between the shooting and the interview that Nixon got rid of the gun, cleaned up and had his girlfriend thoroughly wash the car. The defense said the girl washed the car because she was leaving on a trip. .
There was only 14 seconds of video available inside the bar, but there was outside video showing the Challenger pull up and then, a short time later, people begin to scatter. "Blue" was also seen walking over toward the car.. The shooting scene was just outside the range of the camera facing that way.. The bar had an eight-camera system.
Defense attorneys were Bill Speek and Jonathan Turner.
Judge Don Poole is presiding over the case.