District Attorney Drops Charges Against Marshae Jones

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2019/07/Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229.png
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1087;s:6:"height";i:613;s:4:"file";s:63:"2019/07/Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229.png";s:5:"sizes";a:12:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:63:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229-336x189.png";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:189;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:63:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229-771x435.png";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:435;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:63:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229-140x140.png";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:63:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229-768x433.png";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:433;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:61:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229-80x80.png";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:63:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229-600x338.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:63:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229-600x600.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:63:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229-551x311.png";s:5:"width";i:551;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:63:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229-470x265.png";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:63:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229-600x400.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:63:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229-600x600.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:63:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-e1562019256229-125x125.png";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => White, Arnold & Dowd P.C.
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_wp_attachment_backup_sizes] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:10:{s:9:"full-orig";a:3:{s:5:"width";i:1088;s:6:"height";i:1202;s:4:"file";s:40:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM.png";}s:14:"thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-140x140.png";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:11:"medium-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-336x371.png";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:371;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:10:"large-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-771x852.png";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:852;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:14:"wbhm-icon-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:46:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-80x80.png";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-600x338.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:25:"wbhm-featured-square-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-300x300.png";s:5:"width";i:300;s:6:"height";i:300;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:23:"wbhm-featured-home-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-282x311.png";s:5:"width";i:282;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:27:"wbhm-featured-carousel-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-240x265.png";s:5:"width";i:240;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:19:"post-thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen_Shot_2019-07-01_at_5.09.19_PM-125x125.png";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}}
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 0
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => error
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:4:"full";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:37:"The backup directory is not writable.";}}s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:0;s:14:"optimized_size";i:0;s:7:"percent";i:0;}}
        )

)
1657663647 
1562170209

Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff District Attorney Lynneice Washington announced Wednesday afternoon that she has dropped the manslaughter case against Marshae Jones, the Alabama woman who was charged in the death of her fetus when she was shot in the stomach during an argument.


Jones was not at the DA’s office when Washington, pictured above in the white jacket, announced her decision not to pursue the charges.   Washington said that after reviewing the facts of the case and applicable state law she determined it was “not in the best interest of justice to pursue prosecution.”  She added that the member of the grand jury that indicted Jones “heard literally hundreds of cases” in April and her decision to drop the charges is “in no way a criticism of the hardworking and conscientious members” of them.

The case attracted international attention and mixed reactions from Alabamians. Initially, Ebony Jemison was charged, but the grand jury ruled that Jemison shot in self defense and that Jones had instigated the fight, refused to back down, and ultimately was responsible for the death of the fetus.

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones spent eight years as a prosecutor, including four as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama.  Appearing on NPR’s 1A today, Jones said he would have never charged her.

“The perpetrator who shot the firearm … if it was a self defense case, so be it. Don’t charge that person,” Jones said.  “But I think it’s a real stretch to charge [Jones] with manslaughter based on a law that has been on the books for a long time.”

The law he referred to is Alabama’s chemical endangerment law.  That law, plus other cases like Jones’, have prompted heated public debates over the meaning of personhood and the criminalization of pregnancy.

Editor’s Note: White, Arnold and Dowd P.C. is a sponsor of WBHM. But our news and business departments operate independently. 

 

Poland’s Iga Świątek thrashes American Amanda Anisimova in Wimbledon women’s final

The Polish player emerged victorious after less than an hour of gameplay.

Israeli settlers beat U.S. citizen to death in West Bank

A 21-year-old Florida man was beaten to death by Israeli settlers while visiting family in the West Bank.

FEMA removed dozens of Camp Mystic buildings from 100-year flood map before expansion, records show

Federal regulators repeatedly granted appeals to remove Camp Mystic's buildings from their 100-year flood map, loosening oversight as the camp operated and expanded in a dangerous flood plain.

In Myanmar, a rush for rare earth metals is causing a regional environmental disaster

A drastic increase in unregulated production of rare earth minerals in Myanmar is causing serious environmental concerns downriver in Thailand, as China's influence in the sector looms large.

No playing Spanish-language music: Many immigrants say they have new rules for driving

As the Trump administration's crackdown continues, traffic stops have become increasingly important tools of enforcement. It has led many immigrants to take alternate modes of transportation.

In the Texas flood zone, volunteers help reunite lost pets with their owners

Hundreds of pets have been reported missing after the devastating floods in central Texas. Volunteers have been combing through debris to help reunite them with their owners.

More Crime Coverage