Arguments can sometimes get heated and escalate very quickly. When weapons get involved, people can get hurt and chaos often ensues. In extreme cases, if someone is killed, the courts will have to sort through the mess. Such was the case of Montez Hollins, a man on trial for murder in the death of Jason Barry Sr. and attempted murder and felonious assault for injuring Barry’s wife, Kristina Petree.
Brian Joslyn, who represented Hollins, was able to get an acquittal of all charges after less than four hours of deliberation by the jury.
The whole case started as an argument between Hollins’ friend, Ellen Hill, and Barry’s family in the Kroger parking lot of the Consumer Square shopping center on W. Broad Street at Wilson road. Barry and his wife were upset at Hill for allegedly speeding in the parking lot and continued the confrontation after Hill had driven away.
Witnesses testified that Barry shouted threats, racial slurs, and displayed a handgun at Hollins who had arrived in a separate car. Witnesses also testified that Petree then ran across the parking lot to Hill’s car, which contained Hill, her son, and Charlotte Waggoner, Hollins’ fiancée at the time, and started punching Hill through the window. Barry ran to the car as well, still armed with his handgun.
Hollins, seeing Barry approaching Hill’s car, drove his own car into Barry and Petree, killing Barry and severely injuring Petree. Hollins told the Franklin County jury that he was trying to protect his fiancée and claimed that Barry had the gun drawn and pointed at Hill and Waggoner when he drove into Barry.
Joslyn was able to establish that Hollins had a reasonable belief that Hill and Waggoner were in imminent danger and he was therefore justified in using deadly force to protect them. The jury took very little time agreeing with Joslyn and Hollins and determined that Hollins did not intend to hurt anyone but only to stop the gunman.
Hollins, with Joslyn by his side, was left in tears after the not guilty verdicts were read. He was released from county jail after nearly two years in prison.
If you are in need of criminal defense, reach out to Brian Joslyn and Joslyn Law Firm at (614) 444-1900. Joslyn fights to protect the rights of his clients and to make sure they get a fair trial.
