Larceny

by Jason Poole

  Now, Bilal was cut the fuck up, two hundred pounds, big as a brick house, and he also was the boxing champion down Oak Hill, so if Jovan made any mistakes, he would capitalize on that and kill him with his own knife. No matter how many blows Jovan gave him, his first blow had to be his best, most vicious and vital blow.

  Bilal was positioned about one foot in front of Jovan on his left side, and since Jovan was right-handed, that was perfect. He wasn’t nervous or scared; he was just cautious because he knew that this was a once in a lifetime golden opportunity.

  Jovan sent his first blow with the hardest hook shot he ever took, and the knife went straight through Bilal’s jugular vein. As Bilal held his neck, trying to stop the blood that was squirting out like a water fountain, Jovan’s second blow went straight through his heart. Jovan pushed the knife with such force that when he pulled it out, strings of flesh were hanging off.

  Bilal fell to the floor with blood gushing out of his neck and heart, and when he hit the floor face first, Jovan already knew he was dead—but he wasn’t finished with him. He had to teach him a lesson. Jovan had to let him know that he lived and would be willing to die by the code of loyalty. He held his knife high in the air with both hands and drove it right in the middle of his back.

  He then wiped the handle of the knife off and left it in his back, and before he turned around, he spit on him and said, “Now you know how it feels to be stabbed in the back, mu’fucka!”

  As Jovan walked back to his block, no one was in sight. He held back the tears, the pain, and the hurt and held tight to the jewel his pops had given him: Trust no one.

  CHAPTER 24

  “The Cruelest Lie”

  Sonya

  Trial started for my fiancé, and I’d been up all night anticipating this day. Now that it was finally here, I eagerly wanted it to go away. Jovan had asked me not to come to his trial. He said he had his reasons. Like I told you before, I was from Trinidad NE, and there wasn’t too much you could get past me. Obviously, Jovan was hiding something from me, and I wanted to know what it was. Was it that he had another woman, maybe a wife and child? Was it that something may come out in trial that would hurt me or make me ashamed of him? I didn’t know what it was, but Jovan needed to know that no matter what, I still loved him to death and wanted to be with him for the rest of my life.

  CHAPTER 25

  “Get Ready to Rumble”

  Jovan

  My trial started, and I couldn’t sleep all night long. I was back in the lockdown special handling block ’cause when the lieutenant came to my block and told me that my co-defendant had been killed in the hallway, I immediately told him that I wanted to go back to lockdown. I told him that if anybody wanted to do something to Bilal for whatever reason, then they might try to do something to me.

  He understood and escorted me back to special handling. While in lockdown, I still exercised every day. I did push-ups, crunches, sit-ups, and jumping jacks, and I also got my trial strategy together. I subpoenaed everyone I felt necessary that would aid in my defense. I knew that the government’s star witness was Bilal and his earlier grand jury testimony, but with him not there to testify to that, if they tried to use it, all I had to say was the he lied about everything he said I did, he was really the perpetrator, and he wanted to destroy me because I wouldn’t take his case on the murder of Detective Bridges.

  As I prepared to go into the courtroom, I was wearing a suit that my attorney, Michelle, brought me. Sonya had dropped it by the office for me the day before. It was a black silk Armani suit, white shirt, and tie to match. She also bought me a pair of Armani glasses that would give me that distinguished, innocent look. I was brought in by the marshall and sat at the table opposite the prosecutor.

  At my table was my attorney, Michelle Robinson, and Andy, sitting there with their briefs, reading notes. Mark was in the audience seated right behind us, because if there was any suggestion he had, he’d be able to reach over and say it. The courtroom was packed with all types of lawyers, paralegals, and secretaries. The trial was cut off from the public at my attorney’s request, and only a few important people were allowed in. I told Sonya and Grandma not to come and that I’d fill them in daily about the trial.

  As I sat down, I acknowledged Mark first, and he winked and gave me a thumbs up.

  “Good morning, Jovan,” Michelle said.

  “Good morning, Michelle.”

  “Hey, Jovan,” Andy said.

  “How you doing, Andy?”

  “Are you ready to rumble?” he asked.

  “Yeah, let’s get this mess over with.”

  “Okay, buddy, put on your hard hat.”

  “I had it on a long time ago, Andy.”

  The bailiff stood and said, “All rise. This is the courtroom of Judge Patricia A. Queen.”

  After Judge Queen came into the room and was seated, she motioned for everyone else to be seated. “Thank you. You all may be seated. Prosecutor Debra White, do you wish to proceed in this case?”

  “Yes, I do, Your Honor. First I would like to present to the court and the jury that Mr. Jovan C. Price is the sole perpetrator in the murders of Michael A. Jones aka Fat Mike, Peter C. Milligan aka Petey, Corey L. Washington aka Chicken Wing, and Anthony T. Bridges, a detective for the Metropolitan Police Department,” the prosecutor stated.

  “Okay, Miss White, is that all?” the judge asked.

  “Yes, Your Honor,” the prosecutor said.

  “Okay, now would the defense like to say something?” the judge asked Michelle.

  Michelle stood and said, “Yes, Your Honor. I would like to present to the court that my client is innocent of all charges, and that if there is any physical evidence linking my client to any of these crimes, I ask that it be known to the court now.”

  “I would like to ask that the government produce its evidence that is requested by the defense,” the judge requested.

  “I call into evidence the grand jury testimony of Bilal Ali Davis,” the prosecutor said.

  The judge asked, “Is Mr. Davis here today?”

  “In fact, no, Your Honor, Mr. Davis was subsequently killed two weeks ago while incarcerated at the D.C. jail,” the prosecutor answered.

  “So you’re saying you’re ready to proceed in this trial with only the transcripts of a grand jury proceedings?” the judge said.

  “Well, yes and no, Your Honor. I have certain witnesses that will corroborate Mr. Davis’s testimony transcripts,” the prosecutor said.

  “Okay, you may hand that discovery over to the defense,” the judge said.

  When the prosecutor handed over the discovery, I read all the testimony Bilal had given. He told these people our life story, but as I read more, I could see that the only physical evidence that Bilal gave was the 1985 murder, and I wasn’t even charged with that one. Also he said that he gave me the .357, which was registered in Meeka’s name, but that was argumentative. That didn’t prove I killed Detective Bridges. It only proved he gave me the gun that was later used in a homicide, and I could twist that.

  Also in discovery was the witness sheet. The only witness the government had other then Bilal was Tameeka Gonzales. The prosecutor was lying, saying she had other witnesses.

  All day long the prosecutor and my attorney presented their opening statements. Michelle was on point with everything she told the jury: that there was no physical evidence that would link me to Bilal, no photos of us together, no phone taps, no fingerprints, nothing but the fact that I was hired as a paralegal on his previous case. I was proud of the way Michelle handled things that day.

  Sonya

  I went into the courtroom and grabbed a seat all the way in the back, outta Jovan’s sight. It wasn’t that hard for me to get in. I told the guard at the door that I was a paralegal working on this case, and he let me in. When Jovan came out he looked nice. He didn’t look like he was on trial for murder; he looked like the attorney representing a client for murder. I could see that the Armani suit and
tie I picked out looked very nice on him, and he looked conservative with those glasses on.

  As the prosecutor was saying all these terrible things about my fiancé, I knew they weren’t true. Jovan couldn’t have done all those things. He didn’t have time to, because most of the crimes they said he committed were on dates and times when he was with me. I knew for sure it wasn’t true.

  Jovan

  As soon as I got back to the D.C. jail, Chaz came down to my cell.

  “How it go today, Jovan?” he asked me.

  “It went okay, Chaz.”

  “That’s good to hear. By the way, you need anything while I’m out?” Chaz asked.

  “Naw, the C.O. supposed to let me out for my rec in about ten minutes.”

  “A’ight, I’ma holla at you later.”

  “Okay, Chaz.”

  When the C.O. let me out, I went straight to the telephone and called my fiancée.

  Ring, Ring, Ring.

  “Hello,” Sonya said.

  “You have a collect call from Big Daddy. If you wish to accept, press five,” the operator said.

  Sonya pressed five and said, “Yeah, I got your Big Daddy.”

  “What’s up, boo?” I said to her.

  “Nothin’. I’m just sitting here missing you,” she said.

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “So how’d it go today, baby?” Sonya asked.

  “Oh, everything went smooth. I’ll be home to you in no time.”

  “I wish you’d hurry up, ’cause my pussy is throbbing for your dick.”

  “How do you think I feel?”

  “I don’t know, Jovan, but if it’s anything like me, then I know you’re in misery.”

  “You miss a nigga like that?”

  “Hell yeah, boo!”

  “So how was your day at work?”

  “Baby, I took off for two weeks. I’m thinking about not ever going back.”

  “You can’t just quit like that, Sonya. You gotta have something to fall back on.”

  “I know, baby, but I’m just so frustrated.”

  “Pull yourself together, boo. Everything’s gonna be fine. You’re my queen, remember?”

  “Yeah, and you’re my king.”

  Sonya

  Jovan called me at 6:00 p.m. and we talked for a while. It was good to hear my baby’s voice. I wanted to tell him how good he looked that day in the suit I bought him, but I couldn’t, ’cause he didn’t know I was there.

  Jovan had told me not to worry and to pull myself together. How could I not worry when he’d been charged with four murders, three of ’em I was not supposed to know anything about? Why was he hiding them from me when I knew he was innocent? He was with me when those crimes were committed—well, not all of ’em, but the first three he was with me.

  Damn, Jovan told me there were things I didn’t know about him. Well, there was something Jovan didn’t know about me, but regardless of that, I still loved him no matter what.

  Jovan

  It was the fifth day of my trial, and everything that the prosecutor presented had been batted down by my attorney. Michelle had been doing a tremendous job. On the fifth day the government said they had a witness to corroborate Bilal’s grand jury testimony, and my attorney said they had witnesses that could prove I was somewhere else during the time of those crimes. The judge informed them that she would hear the defense first, and then the government could call their witness.

  Judge: Okay, Ms. Robinson, would you like to call your first witness?

  Michelle: Yes, Your Honor, but first may I have a brief moment with my colleagues?

  Judge: Go right ahead.

  Michelle: Okay, Your Honor, I’m ready to call my first witness in the defense case.

  Judge: Call your witness.

  Michelle: I’d like to call to the stand Ms. Kathy Morris. Bailiff: Ms. Morris, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?

  Kathy: Yes, I do.

  Michelle: Ms. Morris, can you please state your full name and occupation?

  Kathy: My name is Kathy Marie Morris, and I’m employed as a waitress at Phillips Restaurant.

  Michelle: Ms. Morris, were you working on the day of May 8, 1994?

  Kathy: Yes, I was.

  Michelle: And what were your hours?

  Kathy: From 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

  Michelle: Ms. Morris, at any time between the hours of 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., did you see my client, Mr. Jovan C. Price, enter the restaurant?

  Kathy: Yes, I did.

  Michelle: And what time did you notice this person?

  Kathy: A young lady and he came in around 12:30 p.m. I was assigned as their waitress, and I seated them out on the patio.

  Michelle: How long did the couple stay at the restaurant?

  Kathy: They stayed a while, and it was obvious that they were in a heavy conversation, because they stayed longer than the normal customer would stay.

  Michelle: Do you know what time they left?

  Kathy: Yes. It was exactly 3:00 p.m.

  Michelle: Ms. Morris, at any time did you see the defendant here get up and leave the restaurant?

  Kathy: No, not at all.

  Michelle: Thank you, Ms. Morris. That’ll be all.

  Judge: Ms. White, do you want to cross-examine the witness?

  Prosecutor: Yes, Your Honor, if I may.

  Judge: Go ahead.

  Prosecutor: Ms. Morris, do you know the defendant?

  Kathy: No, I do not.

  Prosecutor: Well, can you tell me how, out of all the customers you see and after months, how could you be exact with the time and identity of this person?

  Kathy: First of all, I was their waitress, and Mr. Price was kind when they came in. He asked to be seated while I was still telling them the menu. Also, he’s a very handsome man, and I was attracted to him. It’s hard to forget a face when you’re attracted to them.

  Prosecutor: Thank you. That’s all, Ms. Morris. You may step down.

  Michelle: Your Honor, I would like to ask that the government strike the murder of Michael A. Jones off the defendant’s indictment. The government hasn’t met its burden of proof, and it is clear that the defendant wasn’t at the scene of the crime.

  Judge: If the government doesn’t have anything concrete to meet its burden, I’ll have no other choice but to strike the charge according to the law.

  Prosecutor: Well, Your Honor, my star witness is deceased, and no, I don’t have any other witness to meet the burden, but as the trial continues, I’m sure I can find something.

  Judge: Well, Ms. White, we’re in the middle of trial now and you haven’t found anything yet, so I’m not going to waste any time on this. I’m going to strike this charge, and if you find some concrete evidence in the near future, you can always bring the case back before this court.

  Prosecutor: Thank you, Your Honor.

  Judge: Now, Ms. Robinson, do you have any other witnesses to call?

  Michelle: Yes, I do, Your Honor. I would like to call a witness to clarify that on the weekend of May 16th, my client was in Orlando, Florida, in Disney World with his girlfriend and child. There is no way possible he could have murdered Peter C. Milligan and Corey L. Washington.

  Judge: Okay, Ms. Robinson, you may call your witness, but first let me tell you something. I’m not going to keep striking these charges all day. This is a trial, and in the middle of trial, anything can develop.

  Michelle: Okay, Your Honor, I understand completely. I would like to call my second witness for today, Keda Jones.

  Bailiff: Ms. Jones, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?

  Keda: I do.

  Michelle: Ms. Jones, please state to the court your full name and occupation.

  Keda: My name is Makeda Ivory Jones, and I’m an employee at Erotica Hair Gallery.

  Michelle: What is it that you do at the Erotica Hair Gallery?

  Keda: I�
�m a hairstylist as well as a manager.

  Michelle: Ms. Jones, can you tell the court how you know the defendant, Jovan Price?

  Keda: Yes. He’s the father of one of my sons.

  Michelle: Ms. Jones, were you with your son’s father during the weekend of May 16th?

  Keda: Yes, I was. In fact, my son and me were with his father on my son’s birthday, which was May 16th.

  Michelle: And where did you go for your son’s birthday?

  Keda: Jovan took us to Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

  Michelle: And how long did you stay?

  Keda: We stayed for two days, Friday and Saturday, and we left Sunday morning.

  Michelle: Your Honor, I’d like to exhibit Ms. Jones’s testimony in showing that my client wasn’t even in the city of Washington, D.C. during the time of these crimes.

  Judge: It is accepted, but first let’s see if the government wants to cross examine.

  Prosecutor: Well, yes, I do, Your Honor, and I’d appreciate it if the defense lets me do so before entering any kind of showing to the court.

  Michelle: You can do whatever you like, Ms. White. I’m just being a lawyer.

  Prosecutor: I’m sure you are.

  Judge: Okay, knock it off! We won’t be having any catfights in my courtroom.

  Michelle: Sorry, Your Honor.

  Prosecutor: Sorry, Your Honor. Ms. Jones, how long have you known Mr. Price?

  Keda: Eight years.

  Prosecutor: And how old is your son?

  Keda: Seven.

  Prosecutor: Would you say Mr. Price is a good father?

  Keda: Yes, I would.

  Prosecutor: Ms. Jones, do you love Mr. Price?