Not guilty plea in slaying of Mercer athlete Jibri Bryan

One of two men accused in the shooting death of Mercer basketball player Jibri Bryan could stand trial as early as this fall.

Damion Deray Henderson, 34, pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning in the Feb. 2 shooting death of Bryan at a downtown Macon convenience store.

Henderson’s attorney, Frank Hogue, said the Bibb Superior Court trial could begin as early as Sept. 19.

The judge gave alternative dates of Sept. 26 and Oct. 3.

“I take them as a suggestion,” said Hogue, who realizes any number of things could set back the trial.

Henderson is accused along with 26-year-old Jarvis Miller of trying to sell Bryan fake Xanax. When Bryan realized the drugs weren't genuine, he refused to buy them and was fatally shot, a detective testified in March.

Henderson, a metro Atlanta man, and Miller, who lived in Macon, were indicted earlier this year on three counts of felony murder and one count each of malice murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The men blame each other in the killing in the parking lot of the Flash Foods at the corner of College and Forsyth streets.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 10:34 AM with the headline "Not guilty plea in slaying of Mercer athlete Jibri Bryan."