A Georgia man charged in the shooting death of a teenage girl is set to appear before a judge for a preliminary and bond hearing. His family is calling for a fair trial and says he acted in self defense. Those claims have not been tested in court.
William, 21, of Sharpsburg, is charged with felony murder and aggravated assault in the death of 17 year old Haley Hutcheson of Bellville, the Statesboro Herald reports. Statesboro police say Haley was shot around 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 14, while riding in a vehicle on Veterans Memorial Parkway near Brannen Street. Police said the shot came from another vehicle. People in her car took her to East Georgia Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Haley’s family held a press conference asking the person responsible to come forward. William’s attorney, Francys Johnson, said police had already identified William as a suspect and that he planned to surrender. William turned himself in on June 17 and is being held without bond in the Bulloch County Jail. He faces a preliminary and bond hearing before Bulloch County Superior Court Judge Michael Muldrew at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7. The hearing may be held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A petition on Change.org started by William’s family calls for a fair trial. According to the petition, William was out with his girlfriend when people in another car yelled racial slurs at them and tried to drive them off the road, and he fired a warning shot in response. The petition says he was protecting himself and his girlfriend. That account comes from the family’s petition and has not been confirmed by investigators. Reports say no one else has been arrested in connection with the incident.
At the preliminary hearing, the court will decide whether the case moves forward to a higher court. William is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Made to order and shipped to your door.
