THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 28, 1995 TAG: 9512280308
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JUNE ARNEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
Murder suspect Chauncey Jackson racked up 15 new charges in one night while he was on the lam, police say.
In juvenile court Wednesday, a prosecutor asked that those charges - four counts of abduction, seven counts of using a firearm, a robbery, an attempted robbery, breaking and entering, and wearing a mask - be handled in adult court. A judge will hear the matter in juvenile court on Jan. 9.
Wearing shackles and handcuffs, Jackson answered each of the judge's questions in a steady voice, saying, ``Yes, sir.'' His mother watched from a few rows back in the courtroom. She later declined to be interviewed.
Jackson is being held without bond in the Norfolk City Jail. He was arrested on Christmas Day after being on the run for more than two weeks.
With the new charges, prosecutors are now considering seeking the death penalty for Jackson, 17, when he goes to trial on a capital murder charge Jan. 25.
``I was not previously,'' said prosecutor Lisa Caton. ``That's a big thing when you ask for that. . . . He's just dangerous. He had all the incentive in the world to stay out of trouble, and he didn't.''
Caton said she expected to make a decision by next week on whether to ask for the death penalty.
Jackson is charged in the Aug. 31, 1994, shooting death of Richard G. Bonney Jr., 27. Jackson has confessed to that killing, authorities have said. Co-defendant Calvin Outlaw has been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 68 years in prison.
Jackson's new charges resulted from a break-in at a house on Todd Street in Campostella on Dec. 10 and crimes committed against four victims, including an 11-year-old boy. Two different times were listed in petitions read in court. Some of the offenses were said to have occurred at 5:45 p.m. and others at 7:15 p.m. No details were available.
The original murder charge, which led to Jackson's release from jail, was plagued with problems.
Jackson was charged as a juvenile and the case moved to adult court in September 1994. Jackson was indicted in Circuit Court, but a Circuit Court judge never reviewed the case before charges went to the grand jury. This step is required by a state law that took effect July 1994.
Judge Lydia Taylor released Jackson more than two months ago on a $20,000 personal recognizance bond. She ruled that prosecutors had to reindict Jackson to try him for murder.
A grand jury indicted Jackson again on Dec. 6, but Jackson was not home when police went to his house to arrest him that afternoon. He failed to show up for a bond hearing the following day.
He was finally arrested on Christmas Day when a police officer on patrol spotted someone who matched his description getting in a car on Roseclair Street in Campostella.
Jackson, who was driving, surrendered after a brief chase in the neighborhood near where he lives, police said.
Norfolk prosecutors had opposed Jackson's release on bond, citing concerns that he might not reappear and could be a danger to others while free.
``Whether he had any prior criminal history or not is almost irrelevant,'' said Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Charles Griffith. ``Someone charged with capital murder is already a risk of flight and a threat to the community. Those factors didn't go away just because we were having a legal debate over the interpretation of a statute.''
Taylor has said that legal mistakes destroyed the validity of the original indictments and legally forced her hand, influencing her decision to release Jackson. Because of the seriousness of his crimes, she imposed a $20,000 personal recognizance bond and stringent conditions as controls.
``Judge Taylor made the call and you might say the result bore out she was wrong,'' Griffith said Wednesday. ``But she's the judge. She has to make the decision.''
Family members of murder victim Ronald Bonney were not surprised to hear of the new charges against Jackson, only by the number of them.
``It's just a shame that the judge thought she had to let him go,'' said Becky Roberts, Bonney's sister. ``We wish the justice system had taken care of him the first time around.'' ILLUSTRATION: ALBA BRAGOLI/Illustration
Prosecutor Lisa Caton, right, may seek the death penalty against
Chauncey Jackson, 17, seated, in light of new charges against him,
which involve a break-in. He is being tried on a capital murder
charge.
KEYWORDS: MURDER SHOOTING ROBBERY
KIDNAPPING TRIAL by CNB