Man convicted in death of Jackson Marine asks for retrial
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JACKSON, Tenn. — A convicted killer argues for a new trial Friday, saying his attorney didn’t represent him properly. Ameale Hudson says he would never have been convicted in the 2009 murder of Jackson locksmith and decorated Marine Troy Mitchell if his attorney would have done more. “I don’t know too much about the law, so I really was just ready to follow his lead,” Hudson said. Hudson pleads for his life, still denying any involvement in the robbery and shooting death of Mitchell in October 2009. Hudson says his court-appointed lawyer, Joseph Taggart, failed to present key evidence in his trial and didn’t properly represent him. Hudson was convicted of felony murder and robbery for providing then 15-year-old Justin Gray with the gun used in the crime. Hudson says he told Taggart during the jury selection process that one of the jurors knew Mitchell but that Taggart didn’t excuse her. “She went to church with the victim’s family,” Hudson said. Hudson’s defense then asked him on the stand whether he told Taggart about that and to take her off the jury selection. “Yes, sir. I told Mr. Taggart to please strike her because I didn’t feel comfortable with her on the jury,” Hudson said. Taggart was called to the stand Friday to defend his handling of Hudson’s case. He admitted cases such as this one are hard to defend. “Felony murder cases are inherently difficult,” Taggart said. “It’s just difficult to defend a person based on alleged statements that they may have made, not actions they actually took.” Judge Kyle Atkins says he needs time to research the case. He says a written decision on whether Hudson is entitled to a retrial will be issued at a later date, but no timeline was specified. The Mitchell family was in court Friday but declined to comment. Hudson’s co-defendant, Justin Gray, also was convicted of first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery in 2011. That same year, Gray was denied his request for an appeal. Gray and Hudson are both serving life sentences.
