AllStar JR is asking for a two-month delay before his federal gun trial starts — and is hopeful that, now that alleged victim NBA Ben10 has spoken out, there might not be a need for a trial at all.
In a motion filed in Houston federal court on Thursday (August 20), JR’s lawyer John Helms requests a 60-day delay in the case — a move that prosecutors have no problem with. The trial is currently scheduled to begin on August 24.
Helms says he’s asking for the delay in part to give himself more time to investigate, but also so that he can “determine whether the case can be resolved without trial.”
Helms points out that his client is facing two separate cases stemming from an April 8 shooting at Confessions Restaurant in Houston: this federal one where he’s charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm; and a state case in Harris County, Texas that may result in a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon resulting in paralysis.
The lawyer continues that because the shooting took place while his client was the victim of a robbery, he plans to use a defense of “justification or necessity” in both cases. Helms says he is in contact with both sets of prosecutors to see if the two cases can be resolved at once, in what is known as a “global” resolution. Helms says the 60-day delay is necessary to see if such a global resolution is possible.
Towards the end of the memo, Helms acknowledges that NBA Ben10, who was shot and paralyzed during the incident, recently commented on AllStar JR’s case.
“The whole thing went wrong but hey... if I ain't know the truth behind it... he ain't do shit wrong but take care of business,” Ben10 said on social media.
Helms nodded to that post in his motion, writing: “In the last few days, social media activity by the alleged victim, who participated in robbing the Defendant, indicates that he does not believe Defendant should be in jail for what he did.”
The shooting happened at Confessions restaurant in Houston's Upper Kirby neighborhood. According to investigators, several people approached Allstar JR, whose real name is Jeremy Christopher Ford, and allegedly attempted to rob him of jewelry.
Surveillance footage reportedly captured a physical confrontation involving Ford and multiple people. Authorities allege that a firearm fell to the ground during the struggle before Ford picked it up and began shooting. Three people were struck, including two who suffered critical injuries.
Prosecutors have alleged that Ford continued shooting after the initial gunfire and approached Ben 10 before firing three additional rounds at close range. Authorities further claim Ford attempted to shoot Ben 10 in the head after the weapon appeared to run out of ammunition, then pistol-whipped him and spit on him.
The gun was allegedly hidden behind a hostess stand before Ford left the restaurant in an Escalade.
