Hunter
09/14/21
The man convicted of shooting and killing a 22-year-old in the Ped Mall back in 2017 has been granted work release.
Lamar Wilson was charged with first-degree murder originally, but was convicted by a jury of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Kaleek Jones. Wilson didn’t deny that he discharged his firearm near the Ped Mall breezeway next to Martini’s Bar just after bar close on August 27th that year. He claimed he fired in self-defense and tried to use “stand your ground” as his defense.
He was sentenced in March 2018 to 24 years in prison. Another man involved in the incident, Donte Taylor, was given a five year suspended sentence and three years probation in July 2018 for being a felon in control of a firearm. Two other charges were dismissed by the court.
Jones’ mother told the Gazette that the ruling on Wilson’s release is “a smack in the face.” Wilson will be moved from the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility to a work-release facility within the next 30 days and could be discharged from parole in 2023 if he commits no further violations.