Jury deadlocks in 2018 case of Macon teen charged with murder; mistrial declared
A hung jury led to a mistrial Monday in the case of a Macon man accused of murder during a 2018 convenience store robbery.
Jeremy Jerome Kendrick Jr., now 21, was 17 when he was charged with robbing two convenience stores and assaulting the clerks in August 2018. The two holdups happened a week apart and the clerks of the stores died in both cases. Kendrick’s co-defendant and accomplice Arie Jimmelle Calloway was convicted of the first killing and acquitted of the second in July 2021.
After the jury deliberated for around five hours Friday evening, they returned to the courtroom around 9 p.m. and told Judge David L. Mincey that they were deadlocked on the verdict. The court recessed, with jurors told to come back for more deliberations Monday morning, but the extra time was not enough. Mincey declared a mistrial Monday afternoon on all 11 counts charged against Kendrick after the jury deliberated for several more hours.
State attorneys used surveillance camera footage, texts discussing bullets, cell phone records and testimony from those involved as evidence. One video featured Calloway tearfully confessing to his mother in an interrogation room that he and Kendrick were involved in the robberies and killings.
Kendrick’s defense attorney argued that the evidence did not prove he was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, combined with circumstantial evidence and conflicting statements, likely contributed to the mistrial.
Crime and trial
According to prosecutors, Kendrick shot Ali during the hold-up of the second convenience store on Aug. 21, 2018. He was driven to the corner of Vineville Avenue and Holt Avenue by Vernon Ashley Jr., then 28, and accompanied by Calloway, then 16. This accounts for five of the 11 counts charged against Kendrick.
The first killing occurred when Calloway allegedly shot the clerk, Alpeshkumar Prajapati, during a robbery of a convenience store on Napier Avenue. Kendrick aided this robbery and murder as well, which accounted for the other six counts brought against him.
According to investigator testimony, Calloway initially denied playing any role in the killings, then confessed, saying both he and Kendrick were involved. He later changed his statement, accusing another man of being his accomplice.
The video showing Calloway and his mother at the time of his arrest also showed Calloway’s mother saying she was threatened by Kendrick’s family that same day.
Ashley, the driver and a mentor of Kendrick’s, also initially confirmed Kendrick’s part in the robberies and murders, though he later said Kendrick was innocent as a witness during his trial. Ashley said he was frustrated and under pressure at the time of his initial statement.
Both state and defense attorneys agreed that the statements from Kendrick, Calloway and Ashley all differed in various ways. State attorneys used the changed statements and the implied threats by Kendrick’s family to argue that the newer testimonies from Calloway and Ashley were lies intended to help acquit Kendrick of some charges.
A key piece of testimony was Ashley’s claim that he and Kendrick were in a car together on Lawton Avenue when the shooting on Vineville occurred, separating them from the shooting.
A cellular tracking expert testified that using Google account tracing, Ashley’s mobile device was tracked to within 100 meters of the store on Vineville around the time of the killing. The tracking also showed that Ashley searched terms related to the killings on both Napier and Vineville on Google.
With the statements and evidence conflicting, jurors were left with the decision on Kendrick’s conviction. They were deadlocked, 7-5, on all counts. Kendrick awaits a retrial at a later date.
This story was originally published July 19, 2022 at 1:06 PM.