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Despite SCLC protest, man sentenced 18 years to life for homicide
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
DAYTON — A man convicted of murder in a 2007 homicide was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison.
Jamal Houston, 26, appeared Tuesday morning before Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Michael T. Hall. Houston and his attorney, Jack Harrison, maintained Houston's innocence, but Hall told Houston the physical evidence showed he was guilty.
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Lisa Norris, mother of Houston's victim Joshua Bland, said the sentence was appropriate.
"For Mother's Day, I stood in the cemetery in the pouring rain to be close to my son," Norris said. "He murdered my son, so he's going to prison where he deserves to be."
The sentencing was protested by members of Houston's family and the Dayton Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, who say that Houston is innocent and was wrongly convicted of the slaying of Bland. About six protesters were outside of the courthouse at the corner of Third and Perry Streets.
Houston, who lived 2912 Prescott Ave., Apt. 104, was accused of shooting Bland in the head May 16, 2007. Bland died six days later at Miami Valley Hospital.
Houston was convicted during his second trial, which started April 21 and ended with a guilty verdict April 25. A first trial for Houston ended after jurors told a judge on Nov. 5 they could not reach a verdict.
Prosecutors contended the shooting involved a dispute over drugs. Defense attorney Jack Harrison said a "hooded character" attacked both men, killing Bland as Houston ran.
SCLC investigator Bishop Richard Cox said last week that the SCLC has a letter from a juror who said she was pressured to find Houston guilty. He said the SCLC also has videotaped testimony from the trial that shows inconsistent accounts from prosecution witnesses.
Hall said in court that the juror's letter came to him, and he shared it with the attorneys. However, that letter was not enough to reverse a jury verdict, Hall said, and denied Harrison's motion for a new trial.
Assistant Montgomery County prosecutor David Franceschelli said that it is not uncommon to see jurors have second thoughts after a verdict. However, overturning a verdict would require some external pressure against a juror, such as a threat or some other form of influence, Franceschelli said.
The physical evidence also disproved Houston's story of a hooded shooter firing from the parking lot, Franceschelli said. Two casings were found on the sidewalk and four in the alley where Bland was found, but none in the parking lot, Franceschelli said.
"As the judge indicated, the evidence in this case was overwhelming," Franceschelli said. "(Bland) was executed. He was shot in the back of the head. (He) didn't stand a chance."
