In Session: Judge seals investigation files into recently fired Savannah Police detective
This column is part of a weekly round-up of notable grand jury indictments and court decisions, following through on cases reported by Savannah Morning News public safety reporter Drew Favakeh. If there are cases you're curious about, email Drew at AFavakeh@savannahnow.com.
Judge rules to seal internal affairs investigation into recently terminated Savannah Police detective
On Oct. 31, Chatham County Superior Court Judge Tammy Stokes ruled to seal an internal affairs investigation that led to a former Savannah Police Department detective's termination.
On Aug. 10, 2021, a Chatham County grand jury indicted Stanley Hall, Jerrell Williams and John Baker on charges of malice murder and felony murder. The charges stem from an April 13, 2015, triple homicide of Anderson Mells, Gary Mells and Johnny Green inside a home on 36th and Live Oak streets.
The SPD detective’s name is not revealed in the protective order, but the lead witness listed in the grand jury indictment is Darryl Repress, who was terminated by SPD on Sept. 28, according to an email from an SPD Public Information Officer.
In the Oct. 31 order, Stokes wrote that the "referenced documents may cause annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden or expense and may involve pending investigation." Stokes was referring to a protective order made by Chatham County Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Brian DeBlasiis on Oct. 23 of this year.
DeBlasiis requested that the court keep the investigation under seal so that only the attorneys involved in this case can see them. “Further, if the need arises to cite any of said materials in any court filing, the Defendant must do so under seal,” DeBlasiis wrote in the motion.
SPD denied an open records request for the internal affairs investigation into Repress because the investigation remains ongoing.
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Public defender files a motion to exclude SPD detective's comments during interrogation
On Nov. 29, Joseph Vigneri, the Chatham County Public Defender representing Lionel Cook, filed a motion to exclude an SPD detective’s comments during an interrogation and requested a pre-trial hearing on the motion.
According to an SPD press release, at around 2:20 p.m. on Sept. 4, 2020, SPD officers responded to the 1100 block of Hadley Street and discovered a 69-year-old homeless man suffering from wounds sustained during a cutting. He was transported to a hospital where he died as a result of his injuries. Detectives identified Lionel Cook, 57, as a suspect in the incident, and booked him into Chatham County Detention Center on charges of murder.
The interrogation by SPD Homicide Detective Jason Manley lasted from 6:08 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. on Sept. 4, 2020, according to the motion.
The comments' “probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading the jury or by considerations of undue delay, waste of time, or needless presentation of cumulative evidence,” Vigneri wrote in the motion.
The court denied a separate request to exclude certain statements made by Manley toward the end of this three-hour interview, finding that the comments in issue were made for the permissible purpose of eliciting a response from Cook.
In the latest motion, Vigneri argued that the admission of Manley's comments would violate Rule 403 of the Evidence Code, which excludes evidence if it confuses issues, misleads the jury, or wastes time. At issue is whether Manley's statements confuse Cook's assertion that he was acting in self-defense and are contrary to law.
There are no hearings scheduled yet moving forward in the case.
Gerald Davis and Erika Michelle Cox-Cody indicted for murder
On Nov. 29, a Chatham County grand jury indicted Gerald Davis and Erika Michelle Cox-Cody for two counts of felony murder, one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and one count of conspiracy to commit criminal damage to property in the first degree. The charges are tied to a murder of Sylvasha Lester, 30, that occurred on Aug. 6 at a house on Boyd Street.
The grand jury also indicted Cox-Cody for terroristic threats tied to posting a Facebook live video the day before the shooting, in which she suggested the death of the owner of the house “with the purpose of terrorizing her."
Taneecia De Naysha Williams indicted for murder
On Nov. 29, a Chatham County grand jury indicted Taneecia De Naysha Williams for one count of malice murder, one count of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
In the indictment, prosecutors charged Williams with shooting and killing James Alfred Ancrum on Sept. 17, 2022. According to a Garden City Police Department press release at the time, the shooting occurred at about 9:07 pm at 145 Priscilla D. Thomas Way.
An arraignment in the case is scheduled for Feb. 28, 2024.
More: Chatham County jail contract worker charged with conspiracy, drug delivery
Two inmates and one jail contract worker indicted for bringing drugs into jail
A former Chatham County Detention Center contract worker faces another count of conspiracy for bringing drugs into the jail. On Nov. 29, a Chatham County grand jury indicted Makayla Worlds along with two inmates, Tanaiveon Johnson and Brandon McCall Williams, for one count of conspiracy each.
Past reporting by SMN revealed that Worlds was arrested on May 10, and charged with conspiracy to commit a felony and possession by delivery to an inmate. Worlds worked for Oasis, the contract company that manages the detention center’s commissary.
Worlds was paid $1,500 to bring in sheets of paper laced with drugs, Chatham County Sheriff John Wilcher said at a press conference in May. The buyer was located in the jail, the supplier in Wheeler County. The Criminal Investigation Division caught the crime by listening to recorded phone calls.
On May 31, Chatham County Recorder’s Court Judge Harris Odell Jr. released Worlds on $7,500 bail. Bail would be revoked if Worlds had firearms or offensive weapons, or had new arrests or new charges. She also wasn’t allowed contact with any alleged co-conspirator, according to the bond order.
On Sept. 19, 2018, a Chatham County grand jury indicted Johnson for felony murder, among other charges, for allegedly shooting and killing Arraffi Williams on Sept. 13, 2017.
On March 11, 2022, a Chatham County grand jury indicted Williams for trafficking in illegal drugs on Oct. 12, 2021, hijacking a motor vehicle and armed robbery on Oct. 8, 2021, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and trafficking methamphetamine or amphetamine on April 8, 2022.
Both cases remain ongoing.
A calendar call in the case is scheduled for Feb. 28.
Rashiid Wright's attorney files a motion to exclude evidence
On Nov. 30, Richard Darden, the attorney for Rashiid Wright, filed a pre-trial motion to exclude statements made by Wright's ex-girlfriend and drugs found at the scene of the crime.
In April, a Chatham County grand jury indicted Wright with malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of firearm during commission of a felony for the Dec. 3, 2021, shooting death of Ol’Liek Bonaparte, 23.
Darden, an attorney for Darden Law Firm, is requesting the court exclude statements made by Wright's then-girlfriend, Jameka Williams. “During this interview, the Detective told Williams that he had proof that the defendant was guilty. In response, Williams stated that she would not be surprised if he did anything, but she did not believe he could kill someone. She goes on to say that she put him out on several occasions for having affairs with other women.”
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Former SPD officer Latrelle Gooddine also was interviewed during the investigation, Darden detailed in the motion. “In her statement, she indicated that the defendant cheated on her and in general trashed his reputation.”
Darden argued that the court should exclude evidence of police finding Wright to be in possession of cocaine on two separate occasions. The first time police found cocaine was in his coat pocket at the scene. The second time was when he was arrested 14 days after the murder.
"The defendant is not charged in this indictment with possession of cocaine on that date, therefore, this evidence is inadmissible for two reasons: First, it places the defendant's character into issue. Additionally, the prejudicial effect of this evidence far outweighs any probative value."
Darden said, too, that the handgun found in Wright's possession was inadmissible.
No hearings are scheduled yet in the case.
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Reginald Antonio Anderson files a motion to withdraw guilty plea
On Dec. 1, Michael Schiavone, the attorney for Reginald Antonio Anderson, filed a motion to withdraw a guilty plea.
In an early-August Chatham County grand jury indictment, prosecutors charged that on July 8, 2018, Anderson and Freddie Lee Jackson concealed the death of 25-year-old Alexa "Lexi" Brodak. Prosecutors alleged that Anderson and Jackson left Brodak's body in an overgrown area off West Boundary Street near Cohen Street. According to previous media reports, Brodak was found dead around 3:30 p.m. At the time of her death, she worked as a waitress at the Cotton Exchange Tavern on River Street and had a two-year-old son.
According to court records, on November 15, Anderson entered an open-ended guilty plea to the indictment of concealing the death of another and was sentenced to 10 years to serve
In the motion to withdraw the guilty plea, Schiavone of Schiavone Law Group argued that Anderson’s “plea was not knowingly and voluntarily made,” and that he “received ineffective assistance of counsel.”
A motion hearing in the case is scheduled for March 26, 2024.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: judge-seals-investigation-into-recently-fired-Savannah-Police-detective
