Lawyer: Man charged in Dream Bar & Lounge killing has an alibi

A lawyer representing a Macon man charged with murder in the August fatal shooting of another man outside Dream Bar & Lounge argues his client was at a shot house — a place where illegal alcohol is sold — at the time of the killing.

At the time of the killing, 33-year-old Quinten McCorey Jackson had been out of prison for about six months after serving nine years for a shooting, a drug charge and stealing a car, his attorney, Alan Wheeler, said Thursday during a hearing in Bibb County Superior Court.

He had a job as a construction worker, was reporting to his probation officer as required and had passed a drug test, Wheeler said.

Jackson, who has been held at the Bibb County jail without bond since his Sept. 22 arrest, is charged with murder in the Aug. 20 shooting death of 34-year-old Darian Brewster.

Held more than 90 days without an indictment, Jackson is entitled to a bond. A judge set his bond at $100,000 after hearing arguments at Thursday’s hearing.

Wheeler said three women initially told police they’d been walking out of the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard nightspot at about 3 a.m. when three men walked up to Brewster and shot him.

The women later talked to police again and their statements weren’t consistent. In subsequent police interviews, one of the women brought up Jackson’s name, Wheeler said.

No physical evidence links Jackson to the killing, he said.

Prosecutor April Herbert said the women’s statements are conflicting because they’re afraid of Jackson.

She said one witness received information soon after the killing and talked about what she’d learned.

Jackson confronted her and struck her in the face with brass knuckles, Herbert said.

Another witness picked Jackson from a line-up, identifying him as the man who shot Brewster, she said.

A third witness has told police Jackson went to his home to buy marijuana and while talking said, “they had to burn” Brewster. At the time, the witness didn’t realize what Jackson was talking about, but after seeing the news figured out what had happened, Herbert said.

Herbert argued for a high bond, saying Jackson is a flight risk. He fled to South Carolina after police obtained warrants for his arrest.

Jackson was captured in Aiken, South Carolina, with a woman who was with him at Dream Bar & Lounge at the time of the killing, she said.

This story was originally published March 9, 2017 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Lawyer: Man charged in Dream Bar & Lounge killing has an alibi."