NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — 12 jurors are deliberating whether Javon Doyle, one of the four men accused of killing Chris Cumming, is guilty or not guilty.
Cumming was shot and killed in his Norfolk home in 2011. His roommate, Jake Carey, was shot four times but survived.
Doyle took the stand to defend himself. He maintained he was not in Norfolk that night. He said he wanted to testify to, “tell my truth.”
Doyle said he knew Kwaume Edwards, Ahmad Watson and Rashad Dooley — the three other men accused of killing Cummings — but he “didn’t do anything and wasn’t there.”
He said he might’ve been at a store that night, but it’s hard to remember. He said it’s also hard to get footage from the store a decade later.
Doyle said if he had any information about who killed Cumming he “would have gave them the truth.”
The defense rested their case after Doyle’s testimony.
Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney, Cynthia Collard, said in closing arguments that the motive was weed — Cummings was selling — and money.
She said there was a problem and Cummings fought back.
The medical examiner testified about the bruising on his hand and a shoe print on his body that is consistent with blunt force trauma. She said this illustrates Cummings’ fight.
Collard said the evidence points to Doyle being in Norfolk, but Doyle said on the stand he hasn’t visited the city.
She also said, “everyone else is equally guilty,” as Doyle isn’t accused of pulling the trigger.
Collard simply asked the juror to use their common sense.
Doyle’s attorney, Emily Munn, said Doyle didn’t do anything more than just being friends with the other three men involved in the case. She said, “sounds like the Commonwealth doesn’t know if he was there.”
She said the jury has to rely on a story from a murderer, Kevin Ashby, who has previously gotten his sentence reduced for cooperating with detectives.
She said, “bring me someone else but a federal inmate.”
After deliberating for a few hours, the jurors had a question. They wanted the transcripts from Ashby and the eyewitness, who identified Doyle in a line-up testimony.
At 5 p.m. the jury wrote in a note that they weren’t unanimous but not necessarily hung. The judge sent them home for the weekend.
Deliberations begin again on Monday.