NORFOLK, Va. — A Portsmouth man has been acquitted of several charges he faced in connection with the death of Jahari George, a Norfolk State University student who was shot and killed off-campus in 2023.
On Friday, a jury found Camari Warren not guilty on all six of his charges — including first-degree murder — in George's death.
Watch: Parents of NSU student Jahari George mourn him one year after death
On Sept. 2, 2023, George and his friends were in a car on Gate House Road, just outside NSU's campus, prosecutors said. They said the car he was in was shot multiple times.
They called numerous witnesses to testify, including the three friends of George who were in the car with him when he was shot.
Prosecutors argued that while they didn't think Warren pulled the trigger, they believed he played a role in orchestrating the shooting.
They accused Warren of calling a friend, Cameron Brown, and asking Brown to shoot up the car George was in, using phone records between the two and cellphone location data to support their argument.
Watch: Family of murdered NSU student releases statement calling for change
Another witness, prosecutors called, was Anthony Pugh. NSU security camera video shows Pugh with a group of people, including Warren, in an NSU parking lot near the shooting scene shortly before the shooting.
According to prosecutors, Warren called Brown after seeing what he thought was a suspicious car next to Pugh's car.
What made Warren think the car was suspicious, though, the prosecutors didn't know.
Watch: Trial begins for man charged in connection with 2023 fatal shooting of NSU student Jahari George
Warren’s defense attorney, James Broccoletti, however, argued Pugh was not a reliable witness. They claim he’s incentivised to provide testimony in exchange for leniency in his other case—an accusation Pugh denied.
Broccoletti further argued Pugh is the person who should be on trial instead of Warren, based on Pugh's actions in the NSU parking lot the night of the shooting, phone records between Pugh and Brown and interactions Pugh had with Brown after the shooting.
In closing arguments Friday, both prosecutors and Broccoletti relied heavily on Pugh's testimony.
After court, Warren's family was noticeably happy and thanked God.
George's family was in court as well, but News 3 was not able to catch up with them.
News 3 was able to talk with Broccoletti. One question we asked is what he would say to people who say the verdict is not justice.
"I think it’s absolutely justice. Justice is based upon the law and what the evidence is. Just because a young man is with a group of other young men doesn’t mean he’s guilty or shares their criminal intent. Any time the jury looks at the law, looks at the evidence, performs their duty, no one can say that this jury shirked any of their responsibilities," Broccoletti responded.
Watch: Event Wednesday night honors slain NSU student Jahari George
He said he had an immense sense of gratitude and relief when the verdicts were read.
"Gratitude because the jury focused and paid their attention upon a very, very emotional and difficult subject, and relief because, in my hands, I had the life of a young man, which is an incredible amount of pressure," Broccoletti explained.
The representatives from the Norfolk Commonwealth Attorney's Office who prosecuted the case declined to talk after court. Norfolk Commonwealth Attorney Ramin Fatehi, however, sent News 3 a statement.
"I am proud of the work that my trial team put into this case, and while I respectfully disagree with the verdict of the jury, I thank them for taking their duty seriously. Out of respect for the right of Mr. Warren’s codefendant to a fair trial, it is best for me not to comment further on the case."
News of George’s passing sent shockwaves through the community following his death in 2023. In a News 3 interview, George's parents described him as an intelligent, motivated student with a “wonderful spirit” and a bright future.
They said George graduated in the top five percent of his high school class and was accepted to over 20 colleges. They said in addition to being an honors student and engineering major at NSU, he was very active in the student community.
As of July 18, Brown, the suspected shooter, was scheduled to go to trial on October 23. A third person charged in connection with the shooting had his charges withdrawn in March 2024.
