WHY I HAVE BEEN AND WILL BE FOR A MIN. MIA

Radio interview, letter avow Richardson's innocence


By Michael Abramowitz
The Daily Reflector

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

The man accused of murder in connection with the June 30 shooting deaths of two bystanders downtown avowed his innocence in a call to a radio station Tuesday, a week after a group submitted a similar written statement on his behalf to The Daily Reflector.

James Earl Richardson told station WOOW announcer Jim Rouse on air that he did not shoot at Andrew Kirby and Landon Blackley outside The Other Place on East Fifth Street.

He promised supporters he would walk from the Pitt County Detention Center a free man.

“I just want everybody to pray for me and just know that I'm innocent and will be walking out of here,” Richardson said via phone from the detention center.

An anonymous group of supporters, acting through a spokeswoman, submitted a lengthy written statement to The Reflector that also proclaimed Richardson's innocence. The paper declined to run it as an advertisement and the group declined to run it as an editorial letter.

The spokeswoman said the supporters are based in Atlanta and she declined to identify them or answer questions related to the statement.

The statement said Richardson's “heart goes out to the grieving family of the young people that lost their lives. My prayers go out to them.”

It said he's been a member of charitable organizations and has acted as a mentor to young people. It described him as a victim of discrimination and accuses authorities of judging him guilty without bothering to find evidence of his guilt.

It offered no details about Richardson's version of the events of June 30. He also told Rouse he could not discuss what happened that night because of pending litigation.

Richardson remains in jail, meanwhile, awaiting his next scheduled court appearance on Sept. 30. He was represented by attorney Ernest L. “Buddy” Conner, but Conner resigned in a motion to withdraw filed Friday with the Pitt County Clerk of Court. There was no record Wednesday of new counsel being assigned to Richardson.