Two Georgia police officers have pleaded not guilty to murder in the 2016 shooting death of Jamarion Robinson. A medical examiner determined that Robinson, 26, had been shot 59 times by law enforcement, 11 Alive News reported.
US Marshal Eric Heinze and Clayton County officer Kristopher Hutchens made a court appearance Tuesday (March 1) where they responded to murder charges brought against them by a grand jury back in October 2021. Both entered not guilty pleas.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville set a trial start date for September.
"I didn't know how long it was going to take," Robinson's mother, Monteria Robinson, said outside of the courthouse. "I didn't expect for it to take this long, but here we are, we are grateful. We are thankful we are seeing justice prevail."
US Marshals attempted to arrest Robinson on August 5, 2016 at the request of Gwinnett County and Atlanta police for two separate incidents.
In one of the incidents Robinson's mother said she called police, not to have her son arrested, but to receive mental health assistance. The 26-year-old had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at the time and Monteria Robinson says authorities knew that.
Jamarion had been a student-athlete at Clark Atlanta University and Tuskegee University and had no prior criminal convictions.
Body-camera footage of the fatal incident does not exist because federal policy in place at the time didn't allow for US Marshals to wear them while assisting local police departments.
Reading about Black trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. These additional resources are also available:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
The National Alliance on Mental Illness 1-800-950-6264
The Association of Black Psychologists 1-301-449-3082
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America 1-240-485-1001
For more mental health resources, click HERE.
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