NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A man charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of Norfolk State University student Jahari George was found not guilty Friday by a jury on that and all other charges against him.
Camari Warren, 20, had been charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and four gun charges in connection to the Sept. 2, 2023 death of George, 20, following a Spartans home game.
As Judge Robert Rigney pronounced the six verdicts of not guilty, the courtroom was split between joy on one side and tears on the other.
Warren was one of two people charged with the killing of George on Gatehouse Road in Norfolk. Cameron Brown is the other person who has been charged in connection to George’s death.
Brown still faces a dozen charges in connection to George’s death, including first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
On the night of George’s death, Warren was on a phone call with Brown, believed to be the one who pulled the trigger. That call, which lasted six minutes, ended at the very moment George was killed in a drive-by shooting on Gate House Road adjacent to an NSU parking lot.
The jury had to decide, in that phone call, whether Warren directed Brown to kill George, or whether Brown acted on his own.
After three hours of deliberation, the jury determined that Warren was not guilty of murder, conspiracy or four other gun-related charges.
“You could just see in his face and in his body how things just drained out of him in that way,” said defense attorney James Broccoletti, referring to Warren when he heard the not guilty verdicts. “And I don’t know if you had seen [that] his family, after the [closing] arguments, had gotten into a little prayer circle, and I told him to remember that, and to remember what his mother and father have done for him, and to don’t let them down.”
The Commonwealth relied on the testimony of Anthony Pugh, who was 17 the night of the shooting and a friend of both Warren and Brown. Pugh was standing with Warren and three other young men in the parking lot adjacent to the Spartan Suites. Several of them had attended NSU’s Labor Day weekend football game.
Brown was circling the area in a stolen blue Dodge Charger, and noticed George, his girlfriend and two others in a white Dodge parked near Pugh’s car with Pugh’s sister inside.
Pugh testified, and surveillance video confirmed, that he pulled out his Glock 19 with an extended 30-shot magazine when he learned about the proximity of the two cars. Pugh testified that he was entrusted by his parents to take care of his sister, but said he did not tell anyone to shoot anyone.
Pugh’s testimony regarding Warren related to the phone call he had with Brown leading up to the shooting. Pugh said because he was standing next to Warren in the parking lot, he could hear Warren’s half of the conversation, despite the fact that Pugh was on his own phone talking with his sister.
Pugh faces charges of his own not directly related to the killing of George. Two months after George was killed, Pugh was in juvenile detention. He agreed to testify in the prosecutions of Warren and Brown. He was then released but the charges remain active. When cross-examined by Broccoletti, Pugh admitted he “expected some benefit” as a result of his testimony.
Broccoletti said that made Pugh a flawed witness.
“I think the case pivoted on Mr. Pugh and about whether or not he was credible,” Broccoletti said. “And I think the jury had significant concerns about his credibility.”
Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi sent WAVY this 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.”
Cameron Brown’s trial on murder, conspiracy and additional charges in George’s death is set for October 20.
Another suspect who had previously been charged in connection to George’s death had his charges withdrawn in March 2024.