John Freeland Requests New Trial
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The Jackson man convicted of murdering a Henderson grandmother asked the same judge who sentenced him to death to not only reconsider his punishment but grant him a new trial. John Freeland Jr., 28, of Jackson, appeared before Judge Roy Morgan Jr., Friday morning. He asked the court for an acquittal or a new trial based on insufficient evidence. He also asked the judge to set aside the death penalty. After the very brief hearing, Judge Morgan informed Freeland that he was taking his request under advisement and will issue a ruling at a later date. His ruling is expected within about a week. Earlier in the year, in a rare “bench trial” where the judge not a jury hands down a verdict, Freeland was convicted of carjacking and fatally shooting Carolyn Ward, 61, of Henderson, in 2009. In May, he was sentenced to die by lethal injection.
