'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton reportedly shot and killed Julian Jones, a 22-year-old mother of four in August 2011, while he was in a moving car. The former athlete was reportedly firing at another person who he believed had stolen from him months ago.
However, according to People Magazine, he ended up shooting the mother-of-four, who died of her injuries. While Crittenton denied having killed Jones for years, he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault in 2015.
He was convicted of the murder and sentenced to serve 23 years in prison, but the sentence was later commuted to 10 years before he was released on strict terms of probation in 2023.
Javaris Crittenton's case is the focus of the Netflix documentary Untold: Shooting Guards, which aired on May 6, 2025. The documentary will also take a look at the locker room altercation that took place between Javaris Crittenton and his Washington Wizards teammate, Gilbert Arenas in December 2009.
Trending
According to NBC News, the altercation between the two escalated into a confrontation involving a firearm. The two reportedly had an argument due to a gambling debt caused during a card game when the Wizards were on a flight from Phoenix.
The synopsis for Untold: Shooting Guards, according to IMDb reads:
"What really went down between Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton? This expose unpacks how a gambling dispute led to guns drawn in an NBA locker room."
The major events in the Javaris Crittenton conviction case, from the shooting to his release from prison
Early career and background
Javaris Crittenton was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers while he was playing college basketball at Georgia Tech in 2007. For the next two years, he played for the Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Washington Wizards.
However, Javaris Crittenton was suspended from the NBA after the locker room incident with his teammate Gilbert Arenas.
The 2011 Shooting
In April 2011, Javaris Crittenton and his cousin were robbed at gunpoint outside an Atlanta barbershop. According to ESPN, they lost more than $55,000 worth of jewelry and personal belongings. A few months later, in August 2011, Crittenton was driving in a black Chevrolet Tahoe, when he saw a group of people standing outside a house on Macon Drive in Atlanta.
He believed that one of these people was connected to the robbery where Crittenton and his cousin were mugged. He shot at the group from his vehicle but ended up shooting 22-year-old Julian Jones in the leg, and hit her femoral artery. She succumbed to her injuries while she was still in surgery.
The FBI reported that Javaris Crittenton was charged with murder by the Atlanta Police in August.
Investigation and Arrest
The FBI arrested Crittenton at the John Wayne Airport in California, on August 29, 2011. He was about to board a flight to Atlanta when he was arrested. However, his attorney claimed he was going to turn himself in.
The former athlete was then extradited to Atlanta and released on a $230,000 bond, as per the FBI.
Indictment and Additional Charges
As per ESPN, a grand jury in Fulton County indicted Crittenton and his cousin, Douglas Gamble, on 12 charges, including murder, aggravated assault, and gang charges on April 2, 2013. They were also accused of involvement in a second shooting five days earlier in retaliation for the first robbery.
Javaris Crittenton was indicted, along with 13 others, on federal charges of drug trafficking in January 2014. He was charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana as part of a gang operation, as reported by ESPN.
Plea and Sentencing
Crittenton entered a plea of guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm, on the eve of his murder trial, on April 29, 2015. As per People, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison, which was subsequently reduced to 10 years under a plea agreement. Meanwhile, his cousin entered a plea of guilty to aggravated assault.
As per ESPN, in entering his plea, Crittenton apologized to the victim's family and acknowledged being a gang member.
Prison and Release
Crittenton served his time in Georgia State Prison from 2015 to 2023. He was released on April 21, 2023, after serving 10 years, which was a part of his plea deal.
Probation and Life After Release
As per People, the former NBA star was put on five years of intensive probation in April 2023. He was required to wear a monitoring device, have a 7 pm to 7 am curfew, and perform 7,200 hours of community service over 10 years.
Crittenton's lawyer indicated that he was dedicated to helping others learn from his experience, People reports.
The Netflix documentary Untold: Shooting Guards is available to stream on Netflix.
