LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Bombshell testimony in a Lexington murder trial led to a quick verdict from the jury. A witness took the stand, admitting he was responsible for the shooting, not the suspect.
Early this afternoon, the judge read the verdict. "We the jury find the defendant not guilty."
With that announcement, the waiting is over for Corry Jackson, the man who was on trial.
This was the response from Jackson's attorney:
"I think the evidence in this case was so tilted towards innocence, that the jury didn't take long to deliberate," Daniel Whitley said.
The jury went into deliberations just after 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, and less than an hour after that, word came in that a verdict had been reached.
Whitley called it an odd case, something that he's never seen before, emphasizing the strong sense of relief for Corry's family.
"They're extremely excited. I know that Corry, he has to go back to jail to get booked out. He should be excited," Whitley noted.
Whitley calls the outcome in the case a new way of looking at justice.
"We're just very grateful that citizens are not coming to the courthouse with these biases against young people and young people of color. That we're able to present the whole entire story...a fair system," Whitley said.
The story goes back to April 20, 2023, on Chestnut Street. Two people died in the shooting: 43-year-old Timonte Harris and 32-year-old Lakeisha Hill.
From the beginning of Jackson's case, Whitley and Jackson's family have been fighting for Corry's innocence.
"For a long time, we've been fighting for this day in court," Whitley said.
In court Wednesday, Courtney Wrenn, testifying as a witness for the defense, admitted pulling the trigger of the weapon that killed Harris.
Whitley asked, "Why are you coming forward?" Wrenn's response? "Because I believe it is the right thing to do."
Whitley says police knew early after the shooting about Wrenn's involvement in the case.
"I was somewhat shocked that he would even have to take the stand. They knew what the case was three days after the incident. In fact, the police officer talked to my client (Corry Jackson) and said Courtney told us what happened," Whitley noted.
In closing arguments that started just after 11:20 a.m. Wednesday morning, the defense went first, and Whitley stressed, in part, that the prosecution tried to create false perceptions to get a conviction.
In his words, as he addressed the jury, Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Andrew Gillespie said Jackson was "playing it cool" after the shooting, trying not to draw attention to himself.
"I'm asking you all to find this defendant Corry Jackson guilty of murder, for shooting those 17 shell casings that were found, for shooting Timonte in the back as he ran away. Walking away from the scene and lying about it later," Gillespie said.
But the jury saw it differently.
Whitley was asked if a lawsuit is potentially coming against Lexington Police and the city from Corry Jackson.
"The police officers in our community do a great job protecting a lot of people. I don't want to give an impression that somehow in this case, it was an ultimate failure. They wake up everyday to do a great job. Their people do a great job."
"We'll sit down with the family and see if we can move forward. He's been in custody for a long time, DNA evidence has been out for a long time, they've known he's been innocent for a long time. Ultimately, I believe the commonwealth will move forward on it to prevent that lawsuit from happening by trying to get a bad conviction, but we'll see what happens in the future," Whitley said.
The case concludes with Jackson set to be released from prison tonight. He also faced a gun charge, but that was dismissed, as well.
