He Shot 4 Men, Killing 1, But Turned Down A Plea Deal: This Month A Philly Jury Found Him Not Guilty
BY Herschel Smith
5 years, 8 months ago
If you Google the name Jabir Kennedy, you will read about a fugitive wanted for gunning down four men, one fatally, during Christmas week 2017 in the Elmwood section of Southwest Philadelphia. You will read that the “armed and dangerous” fugitive turned himself in a week later and was charged with first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder.
That’s all you’ll read about Kennedy, 23, because in a city that typically tallies more than 300 murders and more than 1,000 nonfatal shootings a year, his case quickly disappeared from the news cycle.
Well, that’s partly because Google sucks, and partly because this is all the information the DA’s office and cops wanted you to know.
So when the case reached its conclusion this month, there were no headlines for what turned out to be a rarity in the criminal justice system: an admitted gunman in a quadruple shooting acquitted by a jury of all charges.
Kennedy’s weeklong trial at the Criminal Justice Center, which ended March 15, focused not on Stand Your Ground or the Castle Doctrine, but instead on old-fashioned self-defense, his lawyer said.
“This was a fascinating case to me. It is truly the first homicide self-defense case that I ever tried,” said David Nenner, a Center City lawyer for 34 years. “It’s rare.”
Kennedy, a former car detailer from Elmwood with no criminal record, rejected a plea deal from the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office that would have sent him to state prison for 17½ to 34 years. He said he opted to put his fate in the hands of a jury because he believed testifying about what happened that night in the 6600 block of Dorel Street in Elmwood, where he lived, would set him free.
“I knew I was only guilty of wanting to live. That’s all I knew,” Kennedy said during an interview last week in his lawyer’s office. “I just felt like, these guys came — I don’t know what they came to do — but they came with guns. And people were yelling, ‘Shoot him!’ and stuff like that. I’m just glad I got out of there with my life.”
Assistant District Attorney Sheida Ghadiri argued during the trial that the gun Kennedy fired belonged to him, that he knew how to use it given that he shot four of the five men he fought with, and the number of bullets he fired — eight to 10 — was too many to be self-defense.
But a key moment in the trial, Kennedy and Nenner said, came when Ghadiri was cross-examining Kennedy about why he fired repeatedly at the men.
“Ms. Ghadiri, what did you want me to do?” both recalled him saying. “I don’t understand. You want me to die? You want my mom to come see me with a hole in my head in the middle of the street? That’s not reasonable.”
The DA’s Office stands by its decision to prosecute Kennedy, said Ben Waxman, the office’s spokesperson.
Let that wash over you again. “Assistant District Attorney Sheida Ghadiri argued during the trial that the gun Kennedy fired belonged to him, that he knew how to use it given that he shot four of the five men he fought with, and the number of bullets he fired — eight to 10 — was too many to be self-defense.”
Yes, she wanted you to die. Self defense isn’t a right recognized by the state, at least not any more. And God help you if you ever put yourself on the line and defend someone you don’t know who is in distress. You see, the only agents recognized by the state for dispensing violence are those commissioned by the state to do so. To the communist, the state is the beginning, middle and end of all things.
I have absolutely no confidence in the so-called justice system, neither judges no juries. Fortunately, they go this one right. They tried to convince the jury it was more complicated than that (read the rest of the article if you wish), but in the end it’s simple. Man is made in God’s image and thus has a solemn duty before the Almighty to defend his life.
On April 1, 2019 at 5:36 am, Matt said:
The Russians had, or have a term for what the legal system has become: organs.
It serves to just grind people up under its wheels. There is no justice in it. This guy got lucky.
On April 1, 2019 at 8:36 am, Fred said:
“I knew I was only guilty of wanting to live. That’s all I knew,”
Yes, even Mr. Kennedy is made in God’s image and not only does he, and we, have a duty to defend life but by God’s created order under His Natural Law Mr. Kennedy was overwhelmed with the need to live and he defended himself, by God’s design.
This is God’s Natural Law of Self Defense.
Excellent outcome. They are always pressing, being willing to lose this case in an attempt to get mag capacity or England style limits on what measures a man may employ in self defense into case law is despicable.
On April 1, 2019 at 9:11 am, Michael (from Utah) said:
“I have absolutely no confidence in the so-called justice system, neither judges no [sic] juries.”
Me either. Don’t trust any of them, especially prosecutors.
On April 1, 2019 at 11:18 am, Towser said:
Excellent outcome? I doubt it. Ask Mr. Kennedy:How is his life is now? How are his finances? Will his life ever get back to whatever it was before or some semblance of it? Probably not. He experienced a life-changing event. Such is true from the moment the five men darkened his door. The just-us system made it much, much worse by prosecuting. Now of only Mr. Kennedy could gain some relief for the pain and suffering caused by the system. It is not likely to happen.
On April 1, 2019 at 11:33 am, revjen45 said:
“Law and Justice” is an absurdity. They have nothing to do with each other.
_revjen45
On April 1, 2019 at 7:24 pm, Gryphon said:
Did He “Get Lucky” with the Jury, or perhaps, the Jurors generally being ‘blue-collar’ folks who can’t Avoid Jury Duty, were more Sympathetic to a Man defending Himself from Thugs than all the Bullshit the ‘prosecutor’ Made Up?
If Nothing Else, EVERY person who is charged with a ‘Felony’ should Demand a Jury Trial. This forces the ‘just us’ system to spend Enormous Resources compared to doing ‘plea bargains’. It is quite likely that this Man cost the ‘state’ in excess of a Million Dollars, perhaps More. How many jurisdictions could afford 100+ Cases like this a Year?
No, don’t Complain that “The Taxpayers have to Pay for it”, We are Long past that Point, ‘government’ is ‘financed’ by the Printing of Fiat Paper Money by “God’s Chosen People”(tm) and the Sooner their ‘system’ Collapses, the better our chances of obtaining real Liberty.
On April 2, 2019 at 8:20 am, Blake said:
“Too many to be self-defense.”
I’ve seen some incredible statements made by prosecuting attorney’s but this one stands out as one of the most foolish I’ve ever seen.