A jury recently acquitted 18-year-old Cameron Terrell on charges of murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection to the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Justin Holmes in South L.A. last year. The case has gained attention after it was revealed that Terrell is from a wealthy family in Palos Verdes Estates, California.
Prosecutors argued that Terrell joined the Rollin’ 90s Neighborhood Crips and drove two teenaged fellow gang members to a rival territory, where they approached Justin Holmes, a non-gang affiliated U-Haul worker, and shot him dead. Terrell was arrested in connection with the murder after surveillance showed the two teen shooters jumping in the back of a black Mercedes Benz registered to Terrell's father. Several days after being arrested, Terrell was released on $5 million bond.
The teen's lawyer Jovan Blacknell argued that Terrell wasn't aware that the other teens were planning to kill someone the day of Holmes' murder, adding that Terrell thought they were going to do some graffiti. Blacknell added, “At best, the evidence suggests that Cameron was a witness, and that’s it.”
It was revealed that Terrell will attend college in Houston, where he is planning to study law. He also made a brief statement following the verdict, stating, "Rest in peace, Justin Holmes, you shouldn’t have gone that day.[…] I pray for his family every night. This has been weighing on me every single day of my life. I don’t have to explain myself to anyone. God knows what really happened that day, and God knows what was in my head that day.”
The two juveniles accused of shooting Holmes are awaiting trial.
Source: CBS
