The three men accused of murdering a Gwinnett County coach consistently referred to as “beloved” are expected to appear in court again on Monday. It may be recalled that last week, the trial judge declared a mistrial. The mistrial was declared because the judge determined that one of the prosecutors said something regarding one or more of the defendants that was so extremely “prejudicial” that the defendants could not receive a fair trial. The inability for a defendant to receive a fair trial is the test for declaring a mistrial.
As reported, “David Jarrad Booker, Josiah Hughley and Miles Collins were charged with aggravated assault and murder of 29-year-old Bradley Coleman at a Peachtree Corners gas station during what police describe as a botched carjacking.”
Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge Tamela L. Adkins declared a mistrial last Monday after hearing words the judge characterized as “unproper and prejudicial” made by a state prosecutor on the third day of testimony. Curiously, the specific words uttered by the prosecutor which the court used to justify derailing the trial have not been published.
In a muted response to the declaration of the mistrial, the prosecutors called the mistrial a “technical issue” within the proceedings. The prosecutors went on to assert that “our commitment to seeking justice remains unwavering.” The DA’s office elaborated, saying it plans to retry the case to “ensure that justice is served for the victim and his family.” This Monday, scheduled to commence at 9 a. m., the three defendants are scheduled to appear in court. Reporting has quoted Coach Coleman’s mother telling FOX 5 “she believes there will be justice in this case,” despite the mistrial.
A brief background of the events leading to the murder of Coach Bradley Coleman informs that he was killed during a botched carjacking at a gas station in July 2022. Coleman, a New Orleans resident, “was coming back to Georgia to visit family and had stopped to inflate his tires at a QuickTrip gas station on Peachtree Parkway and Peachtree Corners Circle.”
The version of the events advanced by the police allege that the three defendants approached Coleman at that moment. “One of them (the defendants) jumped into his (Coleman’s) car and attempted to steal it.” The police allege that “Coleman and the suspect wrestled inside the car before the suspect hopped out.” At that moment, as reported by the Gwinnett County Police Department, “one of the suspects shot the Coleman. Both suspects got back into their vehicle and drove off.”
Investigators later identified the gunman as David Jarrad Booker. The two other men were identified as Josiah Hughley and Miles Collins. All three were charged with murder and aggravated assault.
Background reporting on Coleman discloses that, according to a GoFundMe page to support his daughter, Coleman “graduated from Norcross high school & won Mr. Norcross 2011, won Norcross High School State Basketball Championship, played football in Louisiana, and came back to Georgia to coach high school football.”
Venetia Coleman, the coach’s mother, is quoted as saying: “He was respected and loved by so many people.” The tragic loss is profound. “Bradley was this awesome individual. Bradley was a coach, he was a teacher, he was a father, he was an awesome son.”