Defense in Jahari George murder case claims there is a lack of evidence for trial

Two men accused of shooting Norfolk State University student Jahari George in September 2023 will go on trial Thursday, where they face second-degree murder charges.

George was killed on September 2, 2023 in the 2700 block of Gate House Road, right near his dorm and the dorm parking lot.

In November, Marquas Gregg, Camari Warren and Cameron Brown were arrested and charged with George's murder. The charges against Gregg were dropped in March.

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Defendants Brown and Warren appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday. The hearing was a continuation of the July hearing.

Before a judge could decide whether the case could go to trial, lawyers worked through several discovery issues.

Defense attorneys claimed the Commonwealth had not given them the information they needed to move the case forward. They demanded to see Gregg's testimony, even though the Commonwealth said Gregg was not currently a witness in the case.

Defense attorneys also requested juvenile records and information related to the arrest of a witness who, defense attorneys said, is charged in connection with a shooting that occurred at a Norfolk 7-Eleven a few weeks after George's death.

Defense attorneys said the 7-Eleven shooting was “connected” to the George case, and argued that information in the 7-Eleven case could be relevant, especially if the witness believed testifying in that case would benefit him.

Brown's attorneys Michael Massie, Andrew Sacks and Nathan Chapman had previously attempted to keep this witness's testimony completely out of the case.

According to the lawyer, the witness testified that he saw the murder and that Brown confessed to him.

The Commonwealth is expected to provide the defence team with the requested information ahead of a preliminary hearing in October.

Brown and Warren have been in jail without bail since July. At Thursday's hearing, the men again requested bail, but a judge denied it.

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George was a 20-year-old third-year electrical engineering student at Norfolk State University and was loved by his family and friends.

George was part of his community and participated in many campus organizations.

“They took a leader from us,” TeAnna George, Jahari's mother, said previously. “He is so much more than we can ever put on paper. Knowing he was in the place he should be safest, in his second home, right outside the door of his dorm.”

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We will update this story after the hearing on the judge's decision.