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Summary: John David Hester, 68, was killed during an attempted robbery in Georgia in 2015. Six defendants accepted plea deals; the murder trial ended in acquittal.
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NORMAN PARK, Ga. — A late-night confrontation outside a family home ended with the death of 68-year-old John David Hester, a south Georgia man who encountered a group of young blacks attempting to break into his son's home.
The date was July 5, 2015.
Hester was shot during the encounter and later died at a hospital. What followed was a lengthy criminal investigation involving seven black teenagers, multiple plea agreements and a murder trial that ended without a murder conviction.
Had a group of white teens murdered an elderly black man, the story would be forever canonized as part of America's history of racism.
Investigators unravel the shooting
According to investigators, the group had been involved in a burglary earlier that day, during which more than 20 firearms and other property were stolen from another home in Colquitt County.
According to grok.com, Colquitt County is 23.7% black and 71.1% white.
Authorities alleged that the group later went to Hester's son's residence intending to carry out a robbery. Hester encountered the group outside and confronted them.
Investigators said Hester fired a shotgun during the confrontation and was struck by a bullet. Prosecutors later alleged that Christian Glover fired the shot that killed him. Reports say Hester fired first.
He was taken to Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville, where he died. An autopsy determined that he suffered a heart attack brought on by the gunshot wound.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation assisted local authorities with the case.
Seven teens face criminal charges
Authorities arrested seven young men in connection with the incident. Initially, all seven faced murder-related charges, along with other allegations connected to the attempted home invasion and earlier burglary.
As the case progressed, six defendants entered guilty pleas to lesser charges under agreements with prosecutors. Several agreed to testify against Glover, whom investigators believed had fired the fatal shot.
Glover went to trial in August 2016. Prosecutors presented evidence linking him to the attempted home invasion and the earlier burglary, including information recovered from his cellphone.
However, the jury did not find him guilty of felony murder. It convicted him of six other offenses, including burglary, theft, attempted home invasion, armed robbery and two firearm-related counts. News coverage did not report the racial composition of the jury.
A case with a complicated legal outcome
The verdict illustrated the difference between establishing a defendant's involvement in a criminal episode and proving murder beyond a reasonable doubt.
Although prosecutors maintained that Hester was killed during the attempted robbery, the jury acquitted Glover of the murder charges. His co-defendants had pleaded guilty to lesser offenses connected to the events.
In September 2016, five defendants received prison sentences after accepting plea agreements. Several sentences were later reduced.
Glover was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 10 years of probation. Co-defendant Tykerious Jones received the same sentence; the others who pleaded guilty to the non-murder charges received 18-year prison terms, reports say.
Takeaway
Confronting a hostile group of black teens alone is seldom a wise course of action, even if armed. Hester may have survived had he called authorities and remained armed behind locked doors.
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Suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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