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Thread: Clarence McCord III Sentenced to LWOP for 2010 GA Slaying of Kejuan Charde Hall

  1. #1
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    Clarence McCord III Sentenced to LWOP for 2010 GA Slaying of Kejuan Charde Hall


    Kejuan Charde Hall


    Shameeka LaShae Watson


    Clarence McCord III


    February 11, 2011

    2 charged in store clerk's slaying

    By Joe Johnson
    The Athens Herald-Banner

    Athens-Clarke police have charged two homeless people with murdering a pregnant store clerk on Dec. 30 while she worked the night shift at a Westside convenience store.

    Investigators caught a break when someone called them Wednesday afternoon with the names of two suspects, who officers quickly tracked to an apartment complex off West Broad Street and found in a parked car where they sleep.

    After several hours of questioning by detectives and Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents, Clarence McCord, 36, and Shameeka Lashae Watson, 30, each were charged with murder in the stabbing death of 25-year-old KeJuan Charde Hall at a Golden Pantry on the corner of Atlanta Highway and Timothy Road.

    Police expect a grand jury will indict them on feticide and other charges as well.

    Investigators still are unsure of a motive for the slaying, though a police official said it is possible Hall may have been killed during a botched robbery.

    The GBI has worked closely with local police since the beginning, when the agency sent crime scene investigators to the Golden Pantry the night of the murder. GBI agents have chased down numerous leads and conducted many interviews during the probe, according to Jim Fullington, special agent in charge of the GBI office in Athens.

    Agents continue to help police come up with a motive, he said.

    McCord and Watson may have gone into the store with the intent to rob it, but gave up because they were interrupted by too many customers trying to enter the 24-hour business, Athens-Clarke police Capt. Clarence Holeman said.

    "From the information we gathered (Wednesday) and doing further investigation throughout the evening, we feel robbery may have been a motive," Holeman said.

    While Hall was in a back office - possibly already dead - the suspects pretended to be employees and turned away customers by telling them the store was closed, police said; they even turned off the store's lights.

    Police believe McCord and Watson both stabbed Hall, one using a knife and the other a screwdriver.

    But detectives have not nailed down robbery as the motive and they remain open to different theories, according to Holeman, commanding officer of the Athens-Clarke police Centralized Criminal Investigations division.

    For example, he said, investigators are not discounting the possibility someone hired the suspects to kill Hall.

    That's because nothing was stolen from the store, even though the killers took the time to disconnect and take the videocassette recorder that held the surveillance tape, Holeman said.

    "That was the puzzling part, and why on the surface it appeared to be a personal thing," he said. "But I still have no idea why they killed her. I'm trying to leave this wide open because we're not finished with this investigation by a long shot."

    Though a devoted mother who worked to support her daughter, Hall had associated with some unsavory people during her life and that opened up the possibility of various motives.

    For example, authorities say two of the men in Hall's life were no strangers to murder.

    They believe the father of Hall's 8-year-old arranged a hit in 2006, hiring two men to kill a drug dealer he had a beef with. The killers were convicted of murder, but authorities were unable to prove they'd been paid.

    And the father of Hall's unborn child was arrested in 1993 on charges he and another man raped and shot to death two women whose bodies were found off Olympic Drive. Prosecutors dismissed charges against the man after his co-defendant was acquitted by a Clarke County jury.

    "We're going to check all avenues for a motive and everything is still on the table to try to find out why the murder was done in the manner it was," Holeman said.

    "We're just happy to have somebody in custody because in my mind, this probably would have happened again somewhere - maybe not in Athens-Clarke County, but somewhere," he said.

    http://onlineathens.com/stories/0211...83896280.shtml

  2. #2
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    August 27, 2011

    DA to pursue death penalty

    Clarke County District Attorney Ken Mauldin on Friday filed notice he plans to seek the death penalty in three murder cases, one involving the shooting death of an Athens-Clarke police officer.

    Mauldin is going after the ultimate penalty for the March 22 slaying of Athens-Clarke Senior Police Officer Elmer "Buddy" Christian, who was gunned down by 33-year-old Jamie Donnell Hood as police investigated an armed robbery and kidnapping, according to authorities.

    He also wants death for Hood in connection with the Dec. 28 shooting death of Kenneth Omari Wray, a 30-year-old employee with the Athens-Clarke Transportation and Public Works Department, according to filings the prosecutor made in Clarke County Superior Court.

    The prosecutor also filed Friday to seek capital punishment for a homeless man and woman who are accused of stabbing to death a pregnant Westside convenience store clerk Dec. 30.

    Before this week, Mauldin had sought the death penalty only once since he was elected district attorney in 2000.

    Under state law, prosecutors must prove there were "aggravating circumstances" in order to seek death.

    Mauldin mentions several aggravating circumstances in Hall's death, including the allegation that Clarence McCord III and Shameeka Watson killed her while committing other felonies, including kidnapping and aggravated battery.

    The pair forced Hall into an office of the Golden Pantry on Atlanta Highway at Timothy Road, where they stabbed her 31 times, according to police. Investigators have theorized that someone paid the man and woman to kill 20-year-old Hall, since they didn't steal any cash from the convenience store.

    In the filing, Mauldin says Hall was murdered "for the purpose of receiving money or any other thing of monetary value."

    McCord and Watson also are charged with feticide because Hall was eight weeks pregnant.

    http://onlineathens.com/stories/0827...77366445.shtml

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    September 24, 2011

    Man facing death-penalty trial writes to superior court judge

    A man accused of murdering a pregnant clerk at a Westside convenience store nearly a year ago appears to place himself at the scene of the crime in a letter he wrote to a Superior Court judge.

    But Clarence McCord III claims he had nothing to do with the death of 25-year-old KeJuan Charde Hall, who police said was stabbed 31 times in the office of the Golden Pantry on Atlanta Highway at Timothy Road.

    "I don't hurt people or take things that's not mine," McCord wrote in a letter dated Sept. 5 to Lawton Stephens, chief judge for the Western Judicial Circuit.

    The undated letter was made public last week when it was filed with the court clerk. McCord, 36, and his girlfriend, 30-year-old Shameeka Lashae Watson, are accused of murdering the clerk, and also are charged with feticide because Hall was eight weeks pregnant.

    Authorities have not given a definitive motive for the slaying, but police have said the crime might be a botched robbery or even a murder for hire.

    In his letter to the judge, McCord appears to say he went into the Golden Pantry and found the murdered clerk, but left the store in order to protect Watson, who he refers to as his wife.

    "When I seen that i paniced (sic) and tried to leave and get my wife from that. (Watson) is on probation and I didn't want anything to happen to the rest of her time on it," McCord wrote. "From what i understands about probation u can't be around the police. I know i handle the susitution (sic) wrong but i didn't want no part of it."

    Watson has a history of convictions, but her crimes were theft and fraud, not violent, according to court records. When Hall was killed, she was on probation for a forgery conviction, according to court records.

    McCord has no criminal history in Clarke County Superior Court, and when he wrote to the judge he said it was his first time ever in jail.

    "I have a clean record," McCord wrote to the judge. "I am not the one who did that to that girl nor is my wife and i dont know (Hall) or her family."

    District Attorney Ken Mauldin last month filed notice in court that he planned to seek the death penalty for McCord and Watson.

    "We don't want to die for something we didn't do and (those) two (detectives) no this," McCord wrote. "Like it was said in the paper they are glad they have somebody they don't care who life they mess up."

    Hall was killed the night of Dec. 30, and McCord and Watson weren't arrested until Feb. 9, after a tipster named them as suspects, police said. Officers found the couple living out of a car parked at an apartment complex off West Broad Street, and police said evidence from the car linked McCord and Watson to Hall's death.

    McCord's attorney would not say if the letter to the judge could be a preview of the defense's argument -- that McCord happened upon the victim after Hall was already dead.

    "I'm not comfortable stating now what Mr. McCord's defense will be," Ryan Swingle said. "Mr. McCord has entered his plea of not guilty and we stand by that 100 percent."

    http://onlineathens.com/stories/0924...89961869.shtml

  4. #4
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    November 27, 2013

    Judge rules on motions in murdered pregnant Athens convenience store clerk case

    By Joe Johnson
    The Athens Herald-Banner

    Prosecutors can use statements a man made to police before and after he was arrested for the 2010 murder of a pregnant Athens convenience store clerk, a Superior Court Judge recently ruled.

    Defense attorneys for Clarence McCord III had argued that the statements were inadmissible as evidence in the death-penalty case because they were coerced by police and made without the presence of an attorney.

    In his Nov. 20 ruling, Western Judicial Circuit Chief Judge David Sweat stated that McCord voluntarily made statements to police when a tipster’s information initially led them to McCord and his alleged accomplice more than a month after 25-year-old Kejuan Charde Hall was stabbed to death in the office of Golden Pantry at Timothy Road and Atlanta Highway.

    The judge also ruled that even though McCord asked about an attorney while in custody at the police station, he later signed a written acknowledgement that he understood his Miranda rights and continued to make statements.

    A defense motion had also questioned McCord’s state of mind when questioned by police.

    “Mr. McCord’s capability of understanding the proceedings was actually demonstrated by his responses to the officer’s questions, including ... that he had a high school diploma, that he had obtained a commercial truck driver’s license and that he carefully maintained a log of his apparently extensive work history in public employment,” Sweat said in his order.

    McCord’s defense attorneys had argued that their client’s custodial statements were inadmissible because the detective who conducted the questioning may have raised false hopes that McCord would receive some benefit by cooperating, such as the dismissal of a charge in return for a statement.

    “(The detective’s) representations that he would tell Mr. McCord’s story to the district attorney, or his manner of addressing Mr. McCord as a colleague, may be perceived as perhaps disingenuous, but did not provide a hope of benefit or threat of injury as contemplated by the law,” the judge stated in his order.

    McCord is charged with Hall’s murder along with his then-girlfriend, Shameeka Lashae Watson.

    The clerk was a single mother with an 8-year-old daughter, and authorities said she was about three months pregnant when she was stabbed 31 times with two different weapons.

    Accordingly, McCord and Watson were additionally charged with feticide.

    Authorities said they believe the motive was robbery. After she was charged, Watson pointed the finger at her boyfriend as the alleged killer, according to court documents made public earlier this year.

    According to the documents, Watson told police that she went to the Timothy Road Golden Pantry to use the restroom the night of the murder, and when she came out she saw McCord with blood on his hands, according to the documents. She also told authorities that McCord confessed to her that he killed the clerk.

    McCord’s attorneys have sought to block Watson’s statements implicating their client because they called it unreliable “snitch” testimony.

    “The suspected snitch is or will be paid handsomely for her unholy testimony in this case” by receiving a prison sentence rather than the death penalty, according to a defense motion. “To earn this, she simply must shift the blame for the death of KeJuan Hall from her shoulders to the neck of Clarence McCord III.”

    Sweat stated in his order that he will hear arguments on the snitch motion as the case gets closer to trial.

    http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2...ore-clerk-case

  5. #5
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    Second witness dies in death-penalty case of couple accused of murdering pregnant Athens store clerk

    By Joe Johnson
    The Athens Herald-Banner

    Prosecutors previously stated they want to use the testimony of a dead witness in a pending Athens death-penalty case. Now they want to use the testimony of a second witness who recently died, according to a motion recently filed in Clarke County Superior Court.

    Jeffrey Collins went into Golden Pantry on Timothy Road at Atlanta Highway the night of Dec. 30, 2010, when authorities say he heard a commotion in the office where a 25-year-old pregnant clerk was being killed.

    He also encountered the two people — Clarence McCord and Shameeka Watson — who police said were responsible for the deaths of KeJuan Hall and her unborn child.

    Collins died nearly eight months later in July 2011.

    Last summer, prosecutors filed notice in court that they planned to use as trial evidence the statements Collins had made to police.

    Defense attorneys objected to the use of Collins’ statements, calling them hearsay and inadmissible as evidence.

    Defense attorneys also contend that any statements Collins made after discovering Hall’s body were unreliable because, among other reasons, he was drinking at the time.

    Superior Court Judge David Sweat in March held a hearing on the matter.

    Among those to testify at the hearing was Doni Carnes, a customer of Golden Pantry who was there when Collins discovered the slain clerk’s body.

    “The issues at the motion hearing revolved around details of Carnes’ recounting of his interaction with Jeffrey Collins and his other observations at the crime scene,” prosecutors said the motion that was filed July 30.

    But then, on July 12 of this year, Carnes also died.

    In the motion, prosecutors state that they plan to use Carnes’ testimony from the March hearing as evidence when McCord and Watson go to trial.

    The motion requests a hearing, which has not yet been scheduled, to determine the admissibility of Carnes’ testimony.

    On the night of the murder, Collins went to Golden Pantry trying to get free beer and cigarettes from Hall, according to court records. The clerk refused the man any handouts and told him to leave.

    Collins later returned and while outside he heard “a ruckus, yelling and screaming” inside, noted the records. Upon entering the store, Hall was no longer at the counter and in her place was a heavyset woman.

    When asking the woman about the noises he heard, Collins was told, “It is OK, they are having sex or fighting” in the store’s office, according to court records. The woman further told Collins “something about being roommates and he thinks she may be cheating on him.”

    The woman followed Collins as he walked around the store, and then a man came out of the office carrying a broom and telling Collins that the store was about to close, according to records.

    When Collins told the man he was an alcoholic and needed something to drink and some cigarettes, the man replied that he would not give him anything to drink since he was himself in Alcoholics Anonymous, but he gave Collins a pack of cigarettes, according to records.

    Collins then walked to Five Points Bottle Shop and tried to get something there, but was turned away by the manager, according to records. He returned to Golden Pantry where he saw Doni Carnes at the register, but no clerk. The store’s exterior lights had been turned off.

    Carnes, a local self-employed painter, had gone to Golden Pantry to buy some Goody’s Powder.

    Authorities said that as Carnes yelled for the clerk, Collins went into the office where he found Hall on the floor with a box over her head, noted the records. Removing the box, Collins saw a puddle of blood. He pushed the clerk and yelled at her, but got no response. He ran out of the office and told the customer to call the police.

    Athens-Clarke County police said that the man in the store was McCord and the woman was his wife, Watson.

    They are each charged with murder for allegedly stabbing the clerk 31 times, and also with feticide for the death of Hall’s unborn child.

    Prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty if either or both defendant is convicted.

    http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2...ering-pregnant

  6. #6
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    'Mama I love you and I miss you'

    Takayia White wrote how she visits her mother’s grave to wish her “Happy birthday,” or just to talk.

    “It is not the same and I am always longing for a response that I will never get,” she wrote.

    White was just 8 years old when KeJuan Hall was brutally murdered more than four years ago. Now 13, she recently got a chance to say things to her mom in a victim impact statement filed last week in Clarke County Superior Court, to be read if and when Hall’s alleged killers are convicted at trial.

    The statement was filed by the Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, along with statements by Hall’s mother and two of her brothers. The filings could indicate trial dates for Hall’s accused is getting closer to being set.

    Clarence McCord III and Shameeka Lashae Watson are having separate trials because antagonistic defenses have them pointing fingers at one another.

    Both face the death penalty not just for allegedly murdering Hall, but also for the death of the 25-year-old victim’s unborn child.

    When killed, Hall was working the night shift at the Golden Pantry at Timothy Road and Atlanta Highway. Authorities believe the motive for Hall’s slaying may have been robbery.

    Several issues need to be resolved before the trials, including whether statements by two witnesses who have since died can be introduced as evidence before juries. Jeffrey Collins died eight months after Hall was killed, and Doni Carnes died last July.

    According to court records, on the night of the murder in December 2010 Collins went to the Golden Pantry trying to get free beer and cigarettes from Hall. The clerk refused the man any handouts and told him to leave.

    Collins later returned and while outside heard “a ruckus, yelling and screaming” inside, noted the records. Returning to the store, Hall was no longer at the counter and in her place was a heavyset woman.

    When asking the woman about the noises, Collins was told, “It is OK, they are having sex or fighting” in the store’s office, according to court records. The woman further told Collins “something about being roommates and he thinks she may be cheating on him.”

    The woman followed Collins as he walked around the store, and then a man reportedly came out of the office carrying a broom and telling Collins the store was about to close. When Collins told the man he was an alcoholic and needed something to drink and some cigarettes, the man replied he would not give him anything to drink since he was himself in Alcoholics Anonymous, but he gave Collins a pack of cigarettes, according to records.

    Collins then walked to Five Points Bottle Shop and tried to get something there, but was turned away by the manager, according to records. He returned to Golden Pantry where he saw Doni Carnes at the register, but no clerk. The store’s exterior lights were turned off.

    Carnes, a local self-employed painter, went to Golden Pantry to buy some Goody’s Powder. Authorities said as Carnes yelled for the clerk, Collins went into the office and found Hall on the floor with a box over her head, noted court records. Removing the box, Collins saw a puddle of blood. He pushed the clerk and yelled at her, but got no response. He ran out of the office and told Carnes to call the police.

    Athens-Clarke County police said the man in the store described by Collins was McCord and the woman was Watson.

    Police said it was determined Hall was stabbed 31 times, with her wounds caused by two different weapons, possibly a knife and screwdriver. Hall also had injuries to her head, torso, arms and a broken finger. An autopsy found she was three months pregnant.

    McCord and Watson weren’t arrested until Feb. 9, 2011, after a tipster named them as suspects. Police said officers found the couple living out of a car parked at an apartment complex off West Broad Street, and evidence from the car linked McCord and Watson to Hall’s death.

    In a 12-count indictment returned by a Clarke County grand jury, McCord and Watson were charged with malice murder, felony murder, feticide, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, kidnapping with bodily injury, tampering with evidence and burglary.

    In his notice of intent to seek the death penalty for both defendants, District Attorney Ken Mauldin called Hall’s death “outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible or inhuman in that it involved depravity of mind.”

    A judge later granted a request by Watson’s attorneys for her to be tried separately from McCord. The respective defenses are “in conflict and antagonistic,” an attorney argued in a motion, and Watson won’t be able to use McCord as a witness because he “will not voluntarily appear and testify as a witness in any trial in which they are also being tried by the same jury and on the same charges.”

    In court documents, Watson told police after using the restroom at Golden Pantry, she came out to find McCord with blood on his hands. She also reportedly told authorities McCord confessed to her he killed Hall.

    In a court filing made earlier this month, McCord asks to be allowed to introduce as evidence — either during the guilt-innocence phase of the trial or the penalty phase — previous violent acts by Watson. Had McCord not been involved with Watson in a “toxic relationship,” his attorney states in a motion, “it is highly probable that (he) would have never been involved whatsoever with the events for which he has been indicted.”

    However the death penalty cases proceed, the words Takayia White wants to be heard remain on file at the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse:

    “Mama I love you and I miss you and I wouldn’t trade you for anything in the world. I just wish we had more moments in life that we could have shared together.”

    http://onlineathens.com/national-new...and-i-miss-you

  7. #7
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    Judge allows use of statements from dead witnesses in Athens convenience store clerk murder trial

    A Clarke County Superior Court judge ruled this month that prosecutors can use the statements of two dead witnesses as evidence against a man accused of murdering a pregnant clerk at an Athens convenience store five years ago.

    One of those witnesses, Jeffrey Collins, possibly was in the store at the time 25-year-old Kejuan Hall was brutally stabbed to death in the store’s office in December 2010.

    The other witness, Doni Carnes, arrived at the Golden Pantry on Atlanta Highway afterward and was there when Collins discovered the clerk’s body.

    The witnesses both gave statements to the police and both subsequently died — Collins in July 2011 and Carnes last year.

    Prosecutors last year filed notice they intended to use their statements against defendants Clarence McCord III and his wife, Shameeka Watson.

    A hearing on use of the deceased witness statements was held in May, but only McCord’s attorneys argued their objections.

    On Sept. 4, Superior Court Chief Judge David Sweat issued an order on the deceased witness statements, ruling them admissible in McCord’s trial.

    According to court records, prosecutors plan to use the statements to the following alleged scenario:

    On Dec. 30, 2010, Collins went to Golden Pantry trying to get free beer and cigarettes from Hall. The clerk refused the man any handouts and told him to leave.

    Later that night, Collins returned to the store. Prior to entering he heard sounds of “a ruckus, yelling and screaming” coming from inside. When he entered the store, Hall was no longer at the counter and in her place was a heavyset woman. When asking the woman about the noises he heard, Collins was told, “It is OK, they are having sex or fighting” in the office. The woman further told Collins “something about being roommates and he thinks she may be cheating on him.”

    As the woman followed Collins through the store, a man emerged from the office carrying a broom and told Collins that the store was about to close. Collins told the man he was an alcoholic and needed something to drink and some cigarettes. The man replied that he would not give him anything to drink since he was in Alcoholics Anonymous, but he gave Collins a pack of cigarettes.

    Collins left, but later returned to Golden Pantry, where he saw Carnes at the register, but no clerk. The store’s exterior lights had been turned off.

    Carnes, a local self-employed painter, had gone to Golden Pantry to buy some Goody’s Powder.

    As Carnes yelled for the clerk, Collins went into the office, where he found Hall on the floor. He placed a box on the murdered clerk’s head and ran out of the office, telling Carnes there was blood everywhere and he needed to call the police.

    Authorities say the heavy-set woman behind the store counter was Watson and the man who gave Collins cigarettes was McCord.

    Hall was said to have been stabbed 31 times by two different weapons, possibly a knife and screwdriver. She also suffered injuries to her head, torso and arms, and a broken finger.

    Hall was three-months pregnant and her unborn child also died.

    Athens-Clarke County police said the motive for killing Hall was robbery.

    McCord and Watson were indicted for malice murder and feticide.

    In his notice of intent to seek the death penalty for both defendants, Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney Ken Mauldin called Hall’s murder “outrageously or wantonly vile.”

    http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2015-...e-clerk-murder

  8. #8
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    Death penalty removed from case of slain pregnant Athens convenience store clerk

    By JOE JOHNSON
    The Athens Banner-Herald

    The death penalty has been taken off the table in the case of a man and woman accused of murdering a pregnant clerk and her unborn child six years ago at a convenience store in west Athens.

    In agreements reached two weeks ago with prosecutors, Clarence McCord III and Shameeka Watson waived their right to a jury trial in return for the death penalty not being sought in the 2010 deaths of 25-year-old Kejuan Hall and her child.

    Instead of arguing in front of a jury, prosecuting and defense attorneys will present their respective cases before a judge who will decide both the verdicts and sentences.

    "Based on the fact that both defendants agreed to waive their right to a jury trial, and after consulting with the family of the victim, we thought that it was in the best interest for the state and for all concerned that the state withdraw its notice to seek death against these two defendants,” Western Judicial Circuit Ken Mauldin said.

    Mauldin said he expects the defendants will have back-to-back bench trials, possibly in the next few months. Watson and McCord are to be tried separately because they have antagonistic defenses.

    Having a bench trial means proceedings move swiftly and efficiently. Without having to pick a jury, prosecuting and defense attorneys make their respective cases to Western Judicial Circuit Chief Judge David Sweat. Sweat has presided over the cases since the beginning and is thoroughly familiar with much of the evidence.

    During the prolonged pretrial phase of the murder case, mental health issues were repeatedly raised by attorneys for Watson, who has undergone evaluations and spent time incarcerated at a state psychiatric hospital.

    Sweat is ideal for Watson’s bench trial, as he is the presiding judge of the judicial circuit’s Treatment and Accountability Court, one of the state’s first such courts to be docketed solely with cases involving offenders with mental illness and disabilities. Sweat founded the specialized court in 2008.

    In addition to mental health issues, the Hall murder case involves statements from eyewitnesses who themselves have died since the slaying. Sweat is familiar with the arguments for and against use of the statements at trial and has ruled the statements were admissible as evidence.

    The murder case involves a gruesome crime that occurred the night of Dec. 30, 2010. A single mother with an 8-year old daughter and pregnant with another child, Hall was working the night shift as a clerk at the Golden Pantry convenience store at Atlanta Highway and Timothy Road.

    Hall was stabbed 31 times by two different weapons in the store’s office, possibly a knife and screwdriver, according to authorities. Hall’s head was covered with a box when her body was found by customers.

    Athens-Clarke County police said the motive for Hall’s murder was robbery, and they arrested Watson and McCord a month after the crime after receiving a call from a tipster who identified them as suspects.

    One of the deceased witnesses was Jeffrey Collins, an alcoholic who was seeking a handout at the Golden Pantry the night Hall was killed.

    According to court documents, Collins told authorities he went to Golden Pantry trying to get free beer and cigarettes from Hall, but the clerk refused him any handouts and told him to leave.

    Later that night, Collins returned to the store, and just prior to entering reportedly heard sounds of “a ruckus, yelling and screaming” coming from inside.

    When he entered the store, Hall was no longer at the counter and in her place was a heavyset woman. When asking the woman about the noises she told him, “It is OK, they are having sex or fighting” in the office. The woman further told Collins “something about (them) being roommates and he thinks she may be cheating on him,” according to court documents.

    As the woman followed Collins through the store, a man emerged from the office carrying a broom and told Collins that the store was about to close. Collins told the man he was an alcoholic and needed something to drink and some cigarettes. According to court documents, the man told Collins he would not give him anything to drink since he was in Alcoholics Anonymous, but he gave Collins a pack of cigarettes.

    Collins left, but later returned to Golden Pantry and encountered Doni Carnes, a local self-employed painter who went to the convenience store to purchase some Goody’s Powder. Hall was no longer at the checkout counter.

    As Carnes yelled for the clerk, Collins went into the office and found Hall on the floor. He placed a box on the murdered clerk’s head and ran out of the office, telling Carnes there was blood everywhere and he needed to call the police.

    Authorities say the heavy-set woman behind the store counter was Watson and the man who gave Collins cigarettes was McCord.

    Collins died seven months after the murder, and Carnes died in 2014.

    In addition to statements from the deceased witnesses, the case against McCord and Watson includes physical evidence.

    During pretrial hearings, prosecutors revealed McCord’s fingerprints were lifted from the pack of cigarettes Collins received from the man inside Golden Pantry.

    McCord’s DNA was said by prosecutors to have been identified from blood found at the crime scene.

    http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2016-...ce-store-clerk

  9. #9
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    August 8, 2016

    Life without parole for defendant in murder of pregnant Athens convenience store clerk

    An Athens man was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of a pregnant convenience store clerk and her unborn child more than six years ago.

    Clarence McCord III was sentenced in a non-jury bench trial conducted last week before Western Judicial Circuit Chief Judge David Sweat, who found McCord guilty of malice murder for the December 2010 stabbing death of 25-year-old Kejuan Charde Hall and feticide for the death of Hall’s child. The judge also convicted McCord for the crimes of aggravated assault, aggravated battery and tampering with evidence.

    McCord’s codefendant Shameeka Lashae Watson will have a separate bench trial, which has yet to be scheduled.

    McCord’s trial was held a little more than a month after Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney Ken Mauldin rescinded notice that he would seek the death penalty for both McCord and Watson. Capital punishment was removed from the table as part of an agreement with both defendants that they waive their rights to a jury trial.

    The agreement was made with the approval of the victim’s family, according to Mauldin.

    Sweat has presided over the Hall murder case since the defendants were indicted in March 2011, so prior to McCord’s bench trial he was thoroughly familiar with much of the evidence.

    Hall was a single, pregnant mother with an 8-year old daughter. She was killed the night of Dec. 30, 2010 when working the night shift at the Golden Pantry on Atlanta Highway at Timothy Road.

    Hall was stabbed 31 times by two different weapons in the store’s office, possibly a knife and screwdriver, according to authorities. Her head was covered with a box when her body was found by customers.

    Athens-Clarke County police said the motive for Hall’s murder was robbery, and Watson and McCord were arrested a month after the crime upon receiving a call from a tipster who identified them as suspects.

    Witnesses told police of going into the store the night of the murder, encountering McCord and Watson posing as employees. One witness told police they reportedly heard sounds of a violent struggle coming from the office, with Watson explaining, “It is OK, they are having sex or fighting.

    Watson allegedly followed the witness through the store when McCord emerged from the office carrying a broom and told the witness the store was closing.

    That same witness later returned to Golden Pantry and found Hall dead in the office.

    In addition to witness statements, the case against McCord and Watson includes physical evidence, including McCord’s DNA being found at the crime scene.

    http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2016-...ce-store-clerk
    "There is a point in the history of a society when it becomes so pathologically soft and tender that among other things it sides even with those who harm it, criminals, and does this quite seriously and honestly. Punishing somehow seems unfair to it, and it is certain that imagining ‘punishment’ and ‘being supposed to punish’ hurts it, arouses fear in it." Friedrich Nietzsche

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