Posts Tagged ‘homicide’
Isaiah Thomas shooter says it was self-defense
A 30-year-old Richmond man pleaded not guilty to murder charges for a shooting in mid-September at a hearing Tuesday in the Richmond Superior Court. Jafari Sargent turned himself in to the Richmond police on Sept. 18, a week after the shooting death of Isaiah Thomas. Eyewitnesses said the shooting resulted from an escalating argument between…
Read MoreMan dies after shooting on 23rd Street
A Richmond man died on Monday night from multiple gunshot wounds, police said. Detectives are still investigating the case, which they are recording as the 15th homicide this year.
Read MoreBlacknell sentenced to life without parole for 2009 crime spree
Joe “Fatter” Blacknell III was sentenced to life in prison plus more than 200 years without possibility of parole for the March 2009 murder of an up-and-coming East Bay rap artist and a September 2009 shooting and carjacking spree in Richmond and Oakland. Blacknell, now 21, was arrested after a brief foot pursuit with Richmond…
Read MoreRichmond police arrest wanted suspect, investigate homicide, pot cultivation fire
Richmond police have had a busy 18 hours. Since 10 p.m. Tuesday, police and other emergency personnel have dealt with a seven-hour standoff with an attempted murder suspect, an early morning fire at an illegal marijuana cultivation warehouse and a deadly shooting at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The pot fire is the lowest priority investigation, according…
Read MoreJailhouse interview with Joe ‘Fatter’ Blacknell, who faces life in prison for ’09 slaying
How do you say hello to a convicted murderer? The thought darted through my head as I strode through the Martinez Courthouse jail facility’s winding corridors of concrete and steel. In moments I would be face-to-face—albeit divided by two-inch thick Plexiglas—with Joe Blacknell III, the young man described by police and District Attorney’s Office officials…
Read MoreNorth Richmond man killed in drive-by shooting
A man was shot and killed Monday morning as he walked in front the North Richmond Senior Center. No suspect or motive is yet known. By 8:20 a.m., the victim’s body was covered with a yellow tarp at the southwest corner of Silver Avenue and Fifth Street. Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies and detectives roped…
Read MoreQuestions swirl around flap between ONS and sheriff at scene of North Richmond shooting
The day after Tuesday’s shooting in unincorporated North Richmond left a 22-year-old man dying on the sidewalk, a city anti-violence agency filed a complain tagainst a Contra Costa Sheriff’s deputy, accusing him of assaulting one of its staff members minutes after the fatal shooting of Lonnie Peterson III. Office of Neighborhood Safety staff say a…
Read MoreShooting rocks North Richmond corner market
A midday shooting in front of a North Richmond corner market left two people shot Tuesday. Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies and detectives cordoned off the corner of Market Avenue and Fifth Street minutes after the shooting. More than two-dozen shell casings were strewn about the sidewalk and street, and a large bloodstain stretched from…
Read MoreDriveby in south Richmond leaves 54-year-old man dead
A drive-by shooting in south Richmond Wednesday night left a 54-year-old man dead in the driveway of a home in the 1500 block of Virginia Avenue. More than one hour after the 7:30 p.m. shooting, detectives combed the scene. The man’s body, draped in a white tarp, lay in the driveway of a dilapidated house.…
Read MoreProsecutor reflects on trial, conviction of Joe ‘Fatter’ Blacknell in Richmond gang case
As the jury’s deliberation dragged into a second week, the pressure mounted. Always unflappable in the courtroom, prosecuting attorney Derek Butts nevertheless found himself wracked with inner anxiety. “Those two weeks were brutal,” Butts said. For more than a month in the trial of Joe Blacknell III, Butts’ scratchy monotone had never wavered. Hostile witnesses…
Read MoreRichmond man shot and killed outside party Friday night
A 23-year-old Richmond resident was shot and killed while riding in a car from a party in South Richmond Friday night. The victim, William Cantrell was one of three people in the car, which was fired at by a shooter who was on foot in the 2900 block of Florida Ave., according to Lt. Bisa…
Read MoreBlacknell convicted in murder of Marcus Russell, other counts
Joe Blacknell III was found guilty Thursday of 20 felony counts, including the first degree murder of Marcus Russell in 2009. Jurors reached their decision after more than eight days of deliberations. Blacknell, 21, was convicted on 20 out of 22 felonies with which he was charged. He was found not guilty on two counts…
Read MoreBlacknell’s mother takes stand in Richmond murder case
Joe Blacknell III’s mother took the stand in his defense Wednesday, testifying that her son is a hip-hop fan and father of three, and not a violent gang member who killed one man and wounded at least four others in 2009, as police and prosecutors allege. “You guys make him out to be this,” said…
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