An attorney representing Deqavion James, who recently entered a guilty plea to manslaughter in the shooting death of De’Andre Palmer, has filed a motion to withdraw that plea.
Defense attorney Ted Shouse now represents James, and says his client entered a guilty plea to an amended first-degree manslaughter charge—along with first-degree robbery and tampering with physical evidence—but didn’t understand the sentence that would come with it. Shouse says his client’s confusion came due to an alleged error on the plea documents.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Bowling argues that James had the sentence explained to him clearly the day he entered the plea and he still took the deal.
Judge John Atkins did not immediately rule on the motion to withdraw, instead giving Shouse until November 3 to speak with his client and make certain this is the path he wants to take.
The plea deal James took comes with a recommended 30-year sentence, with James having to serve at least 20 years before becoming eligible for parole. He had originally been charged with first-degree murder.
According to the Commonwealth’s Plea Offer, on July 16, 2016, James while armed with handgun, was told by co-defendant Leonardo Miller to shoot Palmer when given a nod. When Miler nodded to James, he pulled the trigger and shot Palmer once. Palmer was then allegedly shot a second time by Miller, and he would later die from his injuries.