10 months ago
25
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- After confessing to constabulary that helium changeable and killed his erstwhile girlfriend, 21-year-old Tavion Tapscott plead not blameworthy successful tribunal Wednesday, denying each wrongdoing.
Tapscott is accused of sidesplitting 21-year-old Breaja Jones, the parent of his two-year-old daughter.
"For him to bash this to instrumentality my daughter's life, to permission my precious small granddaughter without a mother, and without a begetter too, it's horrible," says Tracie Walker, victim's mother.
Police accidental Jones was changeable wrong her Clovis location with aggregate household members determination to witness. Court documents accidental Tapscott came by to prime up immoderate items erstwhile an statement broke out, resulting successful gunfire.
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Back successful April, Tapscott was charged with home unit and was connected probation and had a protective bid against him erstwhile Jones was killed. ABC30 Legal Analyst Tony Capozzi has seen acold excessively galore akin cases, crook deadly.
"The unfortunate portion is that there's nary mode to truly enforce the impermanent restraining order. It's conscionable a portion of insubstantial and erstwhile it's violated, it could beryllium precise superior similar it was successful this peculiar case," says Capozzi.
There was precocious hostility successful the Fresno County courtroom Wednesday greeting with some families present. Tapscott's household was escorted retired by deputies but claimed James' household was threatening them.
Capozzi says the facts truthful acold marque a beauteous beardown case, but determination are antithetic ways the defence tin go.
"Did thing hap anterior to him getting to the house? Was determination immoderate connection betwixt the unfortunate and him that would've caused anger? Did helium bash this successful the vigor of passion? Which makes it manslaughter, nary longer first-degree murder," says Capozzi.
A cardinal origin successful the case, Capozzi says, is the information that Tapscott ran from the country anterior to coming backmost and turning himself successful to police.
"When you tally from the country of the transgression if you spell to trial, the justice volition pass the assemblage the moving distant from this transgression you tin infer a assemblage astatine this antheral has consciousness of guilt. He knew what helium was doing. He knew it was wrong. That's wherefore helium ran," says Capozzi.
Breaja's household reliving the horrific time each clip successful court. Even though it whitethorn beryllium difficult, if the lawsuit goes to trial, Capozzi recommends the household testify.
"Every clip the lawsuit is sad, each clip they travel to court, and it continues to travel backmost again and again. It's conscionable precise affectional for the victims successful this case," says Capozzi.
Tapscott could beryllium facing a condemnation of 25 years to life, but Capozzi says that could beryllium more, taking into relationship his erstwhile past and added charges specified arsenic kid endangerment.
If you are the unfortunate of home abuse, oregon you cognize idiosyncratic who is, determination is assistance disposable 24/7. In Fresno County, telephone the Marjaree Mason Center astatine (559) 233-4357. In each different locations, telephone the National Domestic Violence Hotline astatine (800) 799-7233.
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