Two get total of 80 years in Capron home invasion
Published 1:24 am Saturday, March 21, 2009
One man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison and another 20 years for a 2007 home invasion in Capron and the violent attack on the couple who lived there.
Jamar Lamont Jones, 21, pleaded guilty and was convicted on eight felonies — breaking and entering, aggravated malicious wounding, use of a firearm in a malicious wounding, use of a firearm in a burglary, use of a firearm in the commission of sodomy, use of a firearm in the commission of a robbery, forcible sodomy and armed robbery. He was sentenced Thursday to 60 years in prison by Southampton Circuit Court Judge Carl E. Eason Jr.
Eason also sentenced 19-year-old Defonté Lamont Freeman on Thursday to 20 years in prison after he was convicted on four counts — breaking and entering with a deadly weapon, aggravated malicious wounding, armed robbery and forcible sodomy.
“This is a good conclusion to this case, which was a heinous crime,” said Southampton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Cooke.
Three defendants had been charged in the home invasion and subsequent brutal attack of its two occupants on Aug. 2, 2007.
Freeman testified for the prosecution at the trial of Wayne Arkese Turner in July. Turner, 18, was convicted of 10 felonies and sentenced in August to 148 years in prison. Cooke said Freeman was prepared to testify at Jones’ trial as well. Prosecutors dropped eight other charges against Freeman.
Details surrounding the attack were revealed during Turner’s trial in July.
During that trial, Freeman and two other men testified that Turner had invited them to ride along with him late in the evening of Aug. 1 “to pick up some money.”
Two of the witnesses testified that they didn’t know Turner intended to rob the residents of the home on Friday Artis Road in Capron.
But Freeman said he “kinda figured” the five men assembled by Turner would be going out to commit a robbery, so he went inside his grandmother’s Oak Trail apartment to get a bandana he could use for a mask.
Testimony revealed that Turner drove the five men around for a couple of hours, drinking wine and smoking marijuana, and that Turner spent much of the time on a mobile phone trying to get the address of the man whom he believed owed him money.
The male victim testified that Turner had called earlier in the evening, demanding $15 from a $20 crack cocaine purchase. He said he told Turner that he had paid all but $5 from the $20 purchase he had made for his mother and that he wouldn’t be able to pay the remainder that day.
“He told me, ‘If I come over there, somebody’s gonna get hurt,’” the male victim testified.
The three attackers had stormed the couple’s bedroom, pistol-whipping both the man and his fiancé and knocking them both to the floor.
As one man began to rape the woman, two others — Turner and Freeman, according to Freeman’s testimony — began beating the man.
First, he was pistol-whipped and kicked, then a metal fan was thrown at him, and finally a television was dropped on his head.
Temporarily breaking off his attack on the man, Turner intervened in the rape of the woman, placing a gun to her left temple and telling her she had better comply, Freeman said in court.
“All three men actively participated,” Cooke said Friday. “These people will be off the street for the foreseeable future, which is good for the safety of the citizens of the commonwealth.”
Cooke said the sheriff’s office should be commended for its speedy and thorough investigation.