The jury decides whether the man faces the execution in the death of Galleria de Royta Giles shot in self -defense or ‘mutual combat’

A jury of the Jefferson County is deliberating to the fate of a 23 -year -old man accused of capital murder in the murder of Royta Giles of 8 years during a 2020 shooting Inside the RiverChase gallery.

Demetrius Jackson is one of the three people accused of capital murder.

Montez Moses Miracle Coleman, 26 years old, He declared guilty in June a reduced charge of reckless murder and three second degree assault charges for the wound of Chateria Brant, Walter Hudson and Senia Escobar Farja, 11 years old.

Coleman was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

King Gary Williams, 23, He declared himself guilty of the same positions in October. Williams was sentenced to 25 years for conviction for reckless murder.

Prosecutors claim that the three fired their weapons that day and are responsible for the death of Royta and the wounds of others, regardless of whether their bullets hit someone.

“All who shot were wrong. And all who are wrong are responsible, “said the attached prosecutor Julie McMakin.

“On July 3, 2020, when Montez Coleman, King Williams and this defendant, Demetrius Jackson, decided to convert the Galleria shopping center into an urban battlefield, each one was responsible for the injuries that occurred.”

“An 8 -year -old is dancing in the hall a minute and the next minute was dead,” McMakin. “This defendant shot. This defendant was wrong. This defendant is responsible. “

Jackson’s main lawyer, Victor Revill, said his client was fired first and returned the fire in self -defense. He said there is no evidence that Jackson’s bullets hit anyone.

“There is no evidence that this man has done anything but defending himself,” said Revill, “which we all have the right to do.”

“This man,” Revill said, “became an impossible situation.”

Thirteen shots

Jackson’s trial began earlier this week before Jefferson Circuit Judge Shanta Owens. Prosecutors sought the death penalty.

The defense did not put any witness. Royta’s mother, Jessica Layfield, testified on Thursday, and then said she is grateful that the terrible experience is over.

The jury began to deliberate around noon on Friday. They delibrated until after 5 pm without reaching a verdict. The jury members will resume deliberations on Monday morning.

Deputy Prosecutors McMakin, Shawn Allen and Elise Driskell processed. Jackson is represented by lawyers Revill, Hunter Horton and Tracy Edmond.

Royta was killed when he, his mother, her stepfather and the younger sisters hoped to go to the children’s place to buy new attire for July 4.

Police said Coleman, Williams and Jackson exchanged shots and when the shooting stopped, Royta was motionless on the floor of the mall, surrounded by his family.

Royta had received a shot in the head and would be declared dead in a matter of hours.

At the time of his death, Royta had just finished the second degree in Jonesboro primary school in Bessemer, where he was an honorary student and worshiped by his teachers and school administrators.

He loved playing video games and aspired to be a musical artist.

Police said an ongoing dispute among young people reached a critical point when they found themselves within the shopping center that Friday.

Coleman, according to the testimony, went to the shopping center that Friday to buy a new shirt for a party later that night.

He met with two of his friends, including Birmingham rapper, Yaven “Big Yavo” Mauldin.

Coleman, indicated, the testimony was a kind of bodyguards or “muscle”, for Mauldin. Mauldin was not accused of any crime.

Williams and Jackson, and a group of other men, were in the mall independently. That group was going down the mechanical staircase when the two groups found each other.

Coleman, said previously, the police were stopped in a shirt kiosk when someone from the opposite group “ran into him.” Williams and some others looked at them aggressively and raised the shirts to show that they had weapons in the belts.

That, said Coleman, is when he shot and fled.

According to the testimony, that shot was on the heads of the other group and lodged on the wall on Starbucks, near the second story of the mall.

Coleman was quickly arrested outside the mall. His backpack had a hole from where his shot was shot.

Williams, also rapper, previously told the police that his group was going down the mechanical staircase when he saw Mouldin.

The two, said the police, had a previous dispute over a rap video or rap lyrics. Williams believed that a group called H2K, with which Mauldin is affiliated, had a “reward” about him.

Williams said he saw Coleman lift his gun, so he returned fire. He said he shot three to four times and then ran from the mall.

From the gallery, Williams went to an apartment in Tarrant, where he dismantled the gun and gave it to a woman to “get rid of,” said the police. That weapon has never recovered.

Thirteen bullets were shot that day.

Of the 12 rounds recovered in the mall, an era of the Coleman assault type gun, five were of a .40 caliber gun and six were from a .9 mm gun, according to the testimony.

Although the authorities said they could not recover any bullet of the victims, all the innocent passers -by who were shot were stopped behind Coleman and were on the path of bullets fired by Jackson and Williams.

Self -defense or ‘mutual combat’?

Revill, on a passionate closing argument on Friday morning, said Jackson should never have been accused.

“There was a great tragedy,” Revill said. “We recognize it. We hate that happened. “

“We don’t stop here and we tell you that no crime happened,” he said. “There was 100 percent crime, but the person who committed that crime was not Demetrius Jackson.”

“The person who made that crime was Montez Coleman,” Revill said. “But for the actions of Montez Coleman, we are never here.”

Revill played the statements of the prosecutors that all those who shot were responsible.

“When someone dies, there is outrage, especially when he is a child,” he said. “Then, let’s get everyone, regardless of whether or not they were acting in self -defense.”

Revill said the video of the shooting showed that Jackson was moving away from the confrontation.

“You could see the knees as soon as Montez Coleman shot that tank in a gun,” he said.

“No person said Demetrius Jackson said a word,” he said. “All these bullets are not created the same because if Montez does not shoot that weapon tank, everyone moves away.”

Allen, in his sometimes high closing arguments, described what happened in the mall that day as mutual combat.

In that situation, said Allen, all parties are criminally responsible in the death and injuries that occurred.

“This is not a case about rights,” he said. “This is incorrect.”

“The personal defense law is not that you can only shoot someone and you think you were acting in self -defense. This is not how it works, ” he said. “There are rules.”

To justify himself in the use of the capital force, said Allen, you cannot be the aggressor, and cannot be the product of mutual combat.

“Mutual combat can be something so simple as you start to take off my earrings, I start taking my clock. You start winding your sleeves, I start getting my pants, “said Allen.

“I am sitting in” G “and waiting” or “and all that has to happen is to throw the first blow and come on.”

“We didn’t say anything, but our body language is said to be preparing to do,” he said. “That is a mutual fight.”

“In Alabama … to be justified in the use of mortal physical force, you must be completely free of failures,” said Allen.

“You have to have clean hands. There can be nothing that contributes to the difficulty that the mortal physical force now has to use. ”

What should have happened was decalcalación instead of climbing, he said.

The video showed Montez Coleman talking while walking along the mechanical staircase.

“I wasn’t talking to yourself,” said Allen. “I wasn’t giving a monologue.”

A witness testified, he said, who listened to several people arguing.

“It was strong enough to take her to the front of the store,” said Allen. “She listened to someone to say: ‘About blood, blood.’ ‘

Jackson said, he didn’t leave. “I was waiting,” said Allen. “They were waiting for what was about to happen.”

“This guy was shoulder shoulder with King Williams as if they were in the infantry line, ride or die,” he said. “They were supporting. They were facing Montez Coleman. “

Immediately after Jackson triggered six shots, Allen said: “The hell is removed from there.”

Jackson ran through Von Maur and towards the parking platform.

“I could have found a police officer. He could have said: ‘Thank God you are here, a boy with a backpack only tried to kill me and I had to shoot my gun and here it is. Thanks for being here. Thank you for saving my life. ” ‘

“That is not what happened,” he said. “He escaped.”

Jackson was interviewed two days later and told the Police that he was not in Galleria when the shooting occurred.

“That is not something that they thought they were justified,” said Allen. “This is how you know he didn’t believe he was justified because he lied about being there, and got rid of his gun.”

“No matter who shot the first shot. No matter who shot most of the shots, “said Allen. “Each of these guys was helping to promote whether they were on the same side or not.”

The defense lawyers, said Allen, spent the whole week telling the jury that Coleman was the “bad”, no Jackson.

“We know that Montez Coleman shot once, and he didn’t hit anyone. His bullet landed in the Starbucks food court, ” said Allen. “At the same time, they are telling you that (Jackson) cannot be guilty because he did not shoot anyone, they also tell you that Montez Coleman is guilty, and did not shoot anyone.

“What we are telling you is that everyone who triggers is wrong,” he said. “Montez Coleman is a bad boy in this. He is one of the three actually. “

“This is not a” y/or “situation. This is a “y/and” situation, “said Allen.” Everyone is guilty. “

“Through his verdict, he will tell this defendant that this was not self -defense. ‘You weren’t justified, you were wrong and you’re responsible,’ ‘said Allen. “Find it guilty of capital murder for the death of Royta Giles.”