A woman found naked and breaking windows at a Buffalo, New York, residence, following the tragic shooting death of her 90-year-old grandmother with dementia in 2021, is no longer facing a murder charge, and the reason behind it is double jeopardy.
Prosecutors at the Erie County District Attorney's Office indicted Jamien Harris, now 41, with second-degree murder charges in the case of Catherine Jones back in May. In November 2022, Harris had already pleaded guilty to two felonies related to firearm possession and was subsequently sentenced to five years of probation.
Harris had been accused of fatally shooting Catherine Jones in the chest one Sunday morning at their home. Police responded to a 911 call about a domestic disturbance at the residence on Highgate Avenue, finding Harris at the front door and the elderly woman deceased in the living room.
The dismissal of the second-degree murder charge stemmed from double jeopardy concerns raised by the defense and supported by the judge's decision. The Fifth Amendment protects individuals from being tried twice for the same offense, preventing double jeopardy. This meant the murder case had to be dropped, with potential revival dependent on an appellate court's finding of error.
Catherine Jones' family, including her son Roosevelt Jones, expressed their disappointment at the dismissal. They felt that Jamien Harris was not being held accountable and was free to go about her life. Roosevelt Jones expressed his hope that Harris would feel the weight of her actions, given her conscience.
The Erie County DA's Office plans to appeal the decision, although no further details were provided at this time.
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