Former NBA Player Javaris Crittenton Indicted on Murder Charges

Javaris Crittenton, 29, has been indicted on murder charges. He is accused of killing an Atlanta mother as an act of vengeance against a rival gang member. Per the AJC: “Former Georgia Tech basketball star Javaris Crittenton, who police say joined a Los Angeles gang after being a first round draft pick of the NBA Lakers, was indicted Tuesday on murder charges, accused of killing an Atlanta mother of four while trying to strike retribution at a rival gang member. Crittenton, 29, was named in a 12-count Fulton County grand jury indictment that includes charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, giving false statements, and participation in criminal street gang activity. ‘He is involved with the Mansfield Gangster Crips, based out of Los Angeles,’ Fulton County Assistant District Attorney and gang prosecutor Gabe Banks said. ‘This is very disconcerting to our office that gang activity extends beyond street level.’ Crittenton, 29, is accused, along with his cousin Douglas Gamble, of killing Julian Jones in an Aug. 19, 2011, drive-by shooting as she walked on an Atlanta street. Jones, prosecutors said, was an unintended target who was hit by a bullet meant for the person she was with. Brian Steel, Crittenton’s attorney could not be reached Tuesday afternoon for comment, but has declared his client’s innocence since his 2011 arrest on the murder charge. He has been free on $230,000 bond. Prosecutors will negotiate an arrest or the terms of Crittenton’s continued release with his attorney. In two separate incidents in August of 2011, prosecutors said Crittenton shot at people, seeking retribution at a rival gang member who robbed him earlier in the year. Crittenton was allegedly armed with a high-powered rifle the night Julian Jones, 23, was shot.”