A 24-year-old man was acquitted on Friday afternoon of capital murder in the 2019 murder of the brother of an NFL football player.
A Jefferson County jury, after two days of deliberation, has decided that Darrius Frazier shot in self-defense when he killed Gjamal Antonio Rodriguez, 27, and injured Rodriguez’s girlfriend, Dedria Johnson, more two years.
Rodriguez was the brother of NFL lineman Mario Addison who played at Troy University and then for the Carolina Panthers. He now plays for the Buffalo Bills.
The case was prosecuted by Jefferson County Assistant District Attorneys Jessica Hebson and Lauren Breland. Defense attorney Emory Anthony represented Frazier.
Frazier, who has no criminal record and has been held without bond in Jefferson County Jail since Oct. 29, 2019, collapsed after hearing the verdict. He should be released from prison tonight.
“A jury found him not guilty and we’re happy about that,” Anthony said. “I am sad that Mr. Gjamal Rodriguez’s life was taken, but my client has always said it was only in self-defense.”
“He kept the faith and he knew the only reason he fired was because he believed the young man was looking for a gun,” Anthony said.
The fatal shooting happened around 7:15 p.m. on Sunday, October 27 at 102 Shawnee Lane on the east side of town. According to trial testimony, Frazier and Rodriquez were dating sisters who lived at the house there.
Johnson, Rodriguez’s girlfriend, had a bit of a disagreement with Frazier and she warned Frazier that she was going to implicate Rodriguez.
On October 26, 2019, according to testimony, Rodriguez fired six shots into Frazier’s home, at which time Frazier returned fire. No one was injured in this incident.
Rodriguez reportedly swore to shoot Frazier every time he saw him.
The following night, according to testimony and closing statements from attorneys, Frazier was at his girlfriend’s house in Shawnee Lane. The two shared a child.
As he left the house, Rodriguez was parked out front with his girlfriend in the passenger seat.
Hebson, in his closing statements, said Frazier immediately went to the trunk of his car and pulled out a “big gun”, which was a rifle.
“He walked to the car and elected to engage in a verbal altercation,” the prosecutor said. “Words have been said. They were angry. They had an ox. They had gone back and forth, but the accused upped the ante.
Hebson said Frazier started the altercation and fired 16 shots into Rodriguez’s vehicle. Rodriquez was punched eight times and later pronounced dead.
His girlfriend, Johnson, was also hit several times but survived.
Hebson said the shooting was not self-defense.
“A person may use deadly physical force and is legally justified in using deadly physical force in self-defense if the person reasonably believes that the other person is using or is about to use unlawful deadly physical force,” a said Hebson. “It is not justified if he provoked the situation, if he was the initial aggressor.”
Anthony, in his closing arguments, said it was clearly a case of self-defense. He said after Rodriguez shot Frazier’s house the day before, he said, “I’ll be back. And every time I see you, I’ll shoot.
He said Rodriguez went to the girlfriends knowing full well that Frazier was there and said he didn’t care. Frazier, he said, left the house and had no intention of having words with Rodriguez until Rodriguez began the verbal confrontation.
“Not only does he come, but he (the victim) parks his truck five feet from this man’s (accused) car,” Anthony said. “The same man who threatens him, the same man who said he was going to shoot him every time he sees him, is that a coincidence?”
Anthony said Rodriguez was enraged and that Frazier only fired when he thought Rodriguez was looking for a gun under his seat. A firearm was not found in Rodriguez’s vehicle.
“Every shot was fired at the side of the jeep where (Frazier) thought (Rodriguez) was leaning under the seat to get a gun,” Anthony said. “He was trying to stop the person from taking the gun.”
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