Not guilty plea in deadly Bellevue bar shooting
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SEATTLE - The man charged in a deadly Bellevue bar shooting pleaded not guilty Thursday to second-degree murder in King County Superior Court.
Ja'Mari Alexander Jones, 19, was arrested last week and charged with the Christmas Eve shooting after several days on the run from police. He is being held in King County Jail without bail.
Court documents say that Jones fired at least five shots inside the bar, killing 30-year-old Deshawn Millikin, of Seattle. Two other people were wounded in the shooting.
Investigators said Millikin and Jones got into a physical fight just after 1 a.m. inside the bar. Security camera video shows Jones shooting at Millikin and then running from the scene, according to court documents.
More than 600 people were at the bar when the shooting occurred, including several Seahawks players who were celebrating after the team's victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Coach Pete Carroll said the players were in a separate area of the bar and were not involved in the shooting.
Jones was one of three teens convicted in the 2008 beating death of a Seattle street musician known as Tuba Man, 53-year-old Ed McMichael.
Jones was sentenced to less than a year in juvenile detention on a first-degree manslaughter charge in that case.
The latest charges against Jones include a firearm sentencing enhancement and carry a sentence range of 20 to 28 years in prison if he is convicted as charged.
Scott O'Toole, senior deputy prosecutor with King County, said it is possible that more charges could be filed later against Jones, which could potentially lengthen the sentence in the event of a guilty verdict.
"There's potentially two more victims (who were wounded by gunfire)," he said.
O'Toole also said he understood this is a very emotional case.
"Deshawn Millikin was a guy who was living his life appropriately and right, and he's very close to his sisters, and very close to his mother, and to have that happen ... is devastating to the family," he said. "They want his memory, as he was, to be known to the public and try to recover from this tragedy."
Ja'Mari Alexander Jones, 19, was arrested last week and charged with the Christmas Eve shooting after several days on the run from police. He is being held in King County Jail without bail.
Court documents say that Jones fired at least five shots inside the bar, killing 30-year-old Deshawn Millikin, of Seattle. Two other people were wounded in the shooting.
Investigators said Millikin and Jones got into a physical fight just after 1 a.m. inside the bar. Security camera video shows Jones shooting at Millikin and then running from the scene, according to court documents.
More than 600 people were at the bar when the shooting occurred, including several Seahawks players who were celebrating after the team's victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Coach Pete Carroll said the players were in a separate area of the bar and were not involved in the shooting.
Jones was one of three teens convicted in the 2008 beating death of a Seattle street musician known as Tuba Man, 53-year-old Ed McMichael.
Jones was sentenced to less than a year in juvenile detention on a first-degree manslaughter charge in that case.
The latest charges against Jones include a firearm sentencing enhancement and carry a sentence range of 20 to 28 years in prison if he is convicted as charged.
Scott O'Toole, senior deputy prosecutor with King County, said it is possible that more charges could be filed later against Jones, which could potentially lengthen the sentence in the event of a guilty verdict.
"There's potentially two more victims (who were wounded by gunfire)," he said.
O'Toole also said he understood this is a very emotional case.
"Deshawn Millikin was a guy who was living his life appropriately and right, and he's very close to his sisters, and very close to his mother, and to have that happen ... is devastating to the family," he said. "They want his memory, as he was, to be known to the public and try to recover from this tragedy."
another day, another nest of worthless, murdering welfare apes
"could get close to 30 years..."
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WTF? In other words, he can't get more than 30? Life w/o parole should be the absolute minimum.Â
Just one bullet will take care all this !
We really need to get much more liberal w/ the death penalty.
Glad this punk is off the streets, now let him fry.Â
In other news, it rained today in Seattle, I-5 was bottled up around Northgate and I-405 near Kirkland during both morning and afternoon commutes, and Mike McGinn rode his bicycle a bit.
Not guilty. Oh boy, we're gonna have a jury trial! I wanna sit on it pretty please. Please, pretty please, pleeeeaaassseeee.
A total scum in our society. No more opportunity for this POS to kill. Lock him up for life.
why lock up his corpse? he's already been shot dead by jones.
@dorimonsonfan too bad it wasn't you
I'll take his head off with my Les Paul and Marshall. Wouldn't cost much!
I've been getting a lot of requests for PROOF of deshawn milliken's recent felony strikes. Â is this enough or would you all like more? Â http://www.whosarrested.com/arizona/maricopa-county/phoenix/mcso/213201-deshawn-eugene-milliken
 @dorimonsonfan Probably just one of his cohorts and they had a falling out. Birds of a feather.
if you knew him so well like you say you would know about his long criminal past. Â he had two assult convictions as a minor, then got a third as an adult in the 2001 seattle mardi gras riot for brutally beating another man. Â fast forward to a few months ago in arizona (maybe he told you about that trip/drug run) he was convicted on felony counts of money laundering and weapons charges.
 @dorimonsonfan You must be the type that blames the rape victim for the way she was dressed.
 @NWNative youre an idiot
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millikin was a 5'9" 275 lb man with a long history of brutal assults. Â jones is a skinny little kid who is a punk and should go to jail, but will have a strong self defense case. Â he should get weapons charges, but murder will be tough to convict in this case
 @dorimonsonfan A 19 year old felon with a gun, in a bar, both illegal. He'll have no defense.
 @Bellevue Scott  Both illegal? Underage in a bar, felon with a firearm and having a firearm in a bar. And lest we forget, murder, with witnesses. And if the firearm was stolen tack on yet another charge.
no defense against a weapons charge and a fake id charge, but a strong defense against murder...self defense.
@dorimonsonfan Why the hell are you defending this lil piece of crap? Even with the hair thin chance it was self-defense, he deserves the murder charge after his mini-vacation he got after killing Ed McMichael (AKA The Tuba Man) back in 08. Hang this lil basturd and get it over with.
 @dorimonsonfan I doubt 'Jmari will be "tough to convict."
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From the charging documents:
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"Deshawn Milliken and an unknown male begin fighting with the defendant....After approximately 8 seconds, Deshawn Milliken turns away from the defendant and is then tacked around the waist by (Michael) Cheetham. The video shows the defendant brandishing a pistol and pointing it at Deshawn Milliken. The defendant can be seen firing at least one gunshot. Deshawn Millken and Cheatham fall to the ground and the defendant....continues pointing the gun toward them. Susbsequent investigation has determined that at least five shots were fired by the defendant....Other than the pistol in the defendant's hand, no other weapons or gunshots are seen."
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Difficult to prove "self-defense" when you are firing multiple shots from a standing position at an unarmed man who is lying on the ground. Unless, of course, you are a police officer.
deshawn milliken and an unknown male began fighting with the defendant (jones)...wow!!!! so it was two against one? 5'9" 275 lb milliken AND another dude vs. skinny little ja mari jones? well that pretty much solidifies his self defense defense!
 @dorimonsonfan It shouldn't matter who the victim was, POS or not. Jones should still be sentenced to the maximum if found guilty.
@dorimonsonfan review the probable cause document. Jones and Cheatham entered together and worked together in the activities against Milliken. http://centraldistrictnews.com/2013/01/10/suspect-in-milliken-shooting-pleads-not-guilty/
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I have to ask dormonsonfan, are you working PR for Jones? I believe that both these @$$3$ lived by the sword and am hopeful that this POS Jones gets the sternest of sentences from the courts. He and his little buddies that killed in their teenage years have proven to be wastes of air.
 @dorimonsonfan dorimonsonfan wrote: "millikin was a 5'9" 275 lb man with a long history of brutal assults.  jones is a skinny little kid"
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.... with a history of murder. I'm not sure what your point is.
 @dorimonsonfan What planet are you living on?!
 @NWNative
 you must be unaware of milliken's long, long criminal history including brutal assults, drug dealing, and weapons charges?
This animal needs to be put down for the good of society. Hopefully this savage hasn't fathered any children.
 @StringerJoe That's an insult to animals - they don't behave like this.......
This bastard should never again see the light of day.Â
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Congrats to our "Justice" system on this one, he should still be in jail for the last crime.Â
he probably should have pled... "Not ever getting out of jail again in this lifetime"
I got an idea that will save us money and get the justice we want... Lets put a tracking device on him and make a website (and app for your phone) that shows where he is at all times... let him walk free and the citizens will do the rest of the work for you... In fact, this will work so well, we should do this for all serious offenders... it will save money, reduce overcrowded prisons and cause crime rates to go down
This comment thread is acting funny and won't let me reply.  So, a commenter named Gigi is still on the right side of reason and logic on this one folks.  The video could be made inadmissible for any number of reasons, or could show someone else entirely, or even be shown in full High Def color and still be no where near reasonable doubt.  The jury, and only the jury decides the evidence and appropriateness of the charges to the crime evident.  Everyone else is along for the ride provided for in the Constitution.
You can figure the defense will move to supress the video. The jury might never get the chance to determine it's value as evidence. In Pre-trail motions there are things eliminated from the jury view that should not be. This clown needs a big dose of accountability and hopefully the hugging of thugs and the typical defense tricks will not prevent it this time.
Wrist slap plea bargain to disorderly conduct...
For God's sake put this worthless ba$tard down....I dont mean "life in prison"!!! He's been part of killing 2 people!! How many will be enough? End him.....now!!
 @deafears1 bunk him with the Monroe inmate who was given 25 yrs added for attempting to kill his cellmate after previously killing another one.
@Borderite92 Just bunk him with the biggest, meanest inmate known for having force relations with his cellmates.
Please tell me that the tax payers get to pay for his defense again........give him the express lane to the chair this time........he obviously learned how to skate the law from his actions when he was under 18 and got away with it....now I would string him up quickly and save the tax payers a few dollars.
why did they even waste time & money allowing him to plea anything. He is caught on video. Stop pretending there is even a chance of not guilty. If it talks like a duck and walks like a duck...........This country is so messed up. It likes to PRETEND too much.
 @Gigi ya know, like it or not, there's this little thingy called the Constitution.   Justice will be served. It may not come at the moment you want, or in the manner you want. But it will come and it will be definite and appropriate.  If you want to live in a totalitarian society where the sentence is meted out before the trial, you would do well to look at some other country.
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Based on the sentencing range, I'm a little more optimistic they'll finally put this piece of crap away for a while! I just don't want to hear anymore about this damn dirtbag getting into trouble yet again!
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 @DinkorSink Hey! You knwo what? If it was up to me, I would do just that, but you really can't expect them to do that! Also, don't forget how much it costs to give someone the death penalty! Should do it my way, my way's a hell of a lot cheaper! ;)
Who wants to bet that this piece of slim will linger in the system for a while then be back on the streets to kill again? This botched abortion needs to be corrected. Â There is no redemption or rehabilitation possible.
What a lot of people don't realize is that in most cases such as this there is no option to file a guilty plea. It has something to do with how the sentencing is done as well as the credibility of the case. Claiming not guilty allows for a jury to come up with a beyond reasonable doubt decision based on the evidence and gives the prosecuting attorney the opportunity to go for a life sentence.
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I hope this guy has a horrible accident at the state Penn... RIP to those impacted by this scumbag and condolences to the families involved.
I'll be surprised if he gets 20 years. His lawyers is going to claim negligence with the club for letting him in, profiling by the Lakewood police for random plate checks, and his family for not showing him enough love.
The "man" looks like a pussy. He'll have a great time in the slammer for the next 20 years at least. (actually, THEY'll have a great time WITH him)
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He's on video showing him shooting his victim and he pleads NOT guilty? Sounds to me the lawyer is not much better than the perp in this case.
Oh... THATS what he looks like. It was kind of hard for the public to look out for murderer based off a picture of him when he was around 13.
Probably not guilty to second degree, but definitely of first degree.
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They saw him do it. Â He did it, but he claims he's not guilty of it. Â Interesting.Â