Why has this Georgia man been behind bars for 10 years awaiting trial?

[MechAg94]

He Spent a Decade in Jail Without Being Convicted. Now His Lawyer Says His Case Should Be Dismissed.
https://reason.com/2023/06/02/he-spent-a-decade-in-jail-without-being-convicted-now-his-lawyer-says-his-case-should-be-dismissed/

Looking deeper into why a Dougherty Co. man has been in jail for 10 years awaiting trial
https://www.walb.com/2023/04/28/looking-deeper-into-why-dougherty-co-man-has-been-jail-10-years-awaiting-trial/

Why has this Georgia man been behind bars for 10 years awaiting trial?
https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2023/04/26/georgia-man-behind-bars-10-years-still-waiting-his-day-court/

Police arrested Maurice Jimmerson and four others in 2013 for murder. A jury acquitted two of them, but for 10 years, Jimmerson has spent the majority of that time in a county jail, legally innocent.

The other two co-defendants were acquitted in 2017.  That is still 4 years after the original crime and far too long.  Now it is 10 years.  I haven't gone through the entire history, but it sounds like delays of one kind or another for the entire time.  No matter what the excuses, that is too long.  4 years was too long in 2017.  At the least, he should have been out of jail all this time.

IMO, this is just an exaggerated example of some of the things wrong with our justice system.  Makes me wonder what the average pre-trial custody time is for prisoners.  I don't think I have ever seen that statistic. 

[230RN]

I confess I only read the first link.

I came away from that with the impression he wasn't squawking about it in all that time.

Maybe he liked the County lockup...not impossible ... and the last thing he wants is to be released into the real job-seeking, house-hunting, 9-to-5, cook for yourself world.

Letting him go might be his worst punishment.

Do-gooders often do good.  Often.

Terry, 230RN
"Actually, you're much safer with me with a gun than you are with me without a gun."

[MechAg94]

It appears there were various hearings here and there during that time.  At some point, the judge should tell the prosecutor to fish or cut bait.  That should have happened after after several months or a year if not sooner, not 10 years.  IMO, the other two people getting acquitted in year 4 is entirely too long to wait.  That means they got a 4 years jail sentence for being not guilty and he gets 10+ years. 

IMO, There are no excuses that make that okay.  Even the defendant / defense attorney shouldn't be able to keep extending things that long. 

[230RN]

So I guess we owe two of them a four-year freebie crime, and him a ten-year freebie crime.

I still think he might be dreading facing the outside world afresh after acclimating to life in the pokey for so long.

Terry, 230RN
"Actually, you're much safer with me with a gun than you are with me without a gun."

[MechAg94]

How do you know they did the crime?  Since two were acquitted, they apparently couldn't convince a jury.  That was after over 3 years to figure it out.  Since a trial was never held for Maurice Jimmerson, they have jailed an innocent man for 10 years.  Does not speak well of law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges in that county/state no matter how you look at it (or his previous defense attorney). 

[RoadKingLarry]

The guy is no saint and has a record from other convictions, the prison sentence from one covers part of the time he has been in jail but this is some serious BS. There is no valid reason his trial couldn't have proceeded while he was serving the sentence for the previous conviction.