Source: Siede Preis / Getty
According to Fox 28, Diondre Jefferson will be prosecuted as an adult in the shooting death of a pizza delivery driver on the East Side this October.
Franklin County Juvenile Court Judge Elizabeth Gill ruled that there is enough evidence to establish probably cause that Jefferson, now 17, was responsible for the death of James Crabtree.
Three witnesses were called in the hearing, including a man who said Jefferson confessed to him that he shot the pizza delivery driver during a robbery. Police said Crabtree was shot seven times while still in his car.
Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Dan Hogan told the court, “there is evidence here that there was an attempt at a robbery and he refused to give up money and was shot because of that.”
Jefferson was dressed in a white button-down shirt and khaki pants. Despite wearing handcuffs and shackles, he hugged his mother Denise Jefferson who was allowed to sit next to him in court. Jefferson did not testify and was mostly stoic during the proceedings.
Defense attorney Becky Brooks said “there were six other individuals in the house that day and six other individuals who all had access to weapons.”
Hogan said “there is testimony that it was his favorite weapon. It was found in the attic. It had to have been placed there within minutes because the police were on this scene very shortly after the shots were fired.”
Another teen, Sean Fletcher, is also charged in the case. Fletcher was indicted last week on murder, aggravated robbery and kidnapping charges.
