STILLWATER, Okla. -- Raw video shows a deadly shooting that happened in the office of a Stillwater bail bondsman who was found not guilty last week.
Chastity Carey, 41, shot and killed James Williams, 38. According to police, Carey called Williams into her office with the intent of taking him into custody when a fight broke out over a gun.
Carey told police she shot Williams out of self-defense.
Carey was found not guilty Friday afternoon in connection with the August 2017 shooting in 100 block of West 7th Avenue in Stillwater.
Laura Thomas, the District Attorney for Payne and Logan counties, issued the following statement about the case:
District Attorneys across the State have the responsibility and ethical obligation to file charges based upon the evidence presented by an investigation and the law. I stand by my decision to file Murder 1st degree in this case based upon the evidence presented to me. A Manslaughter charge was not appropriate at the time of filing. After the evidence has been presented at a trial, the judge can instruct the jury on additional crimes if he or she believes the evidence supports consideration of another charge; in this case the judge instructed on only the same charge the State filed in the beginning.
District Attorneys should not, and my office does not, seek justice depending upon who a victim is or what their background may be. Upholding the rule of law requires that approach and my obligation extends to all the citizens of my district.
It is the jury’s job to determine what facts are or are not important to them and render a verdict. That is what they are selected to do. Although there are many flaws in the criminal justice system, we have the best in the world, and I would not want to be a part of any other. I am grateful for the service of each and every one of our jurors and do not and will not criticize their verdicts. As a prosecutor with 34 years of experience I understand the burdens and obligations placed on every participant in a criminal trial including my own staff, the defense, the judge and the jury. They are heavy burdens and, in my opinion, not one of them enters a courtroom with anything other than a desire to proceed correctly, fairly and zealously and with a deep respect for each other. We respect all those duties and positions and the outcome whatever it might be. I am proud of my staff and the excellent investigators at the Stillwater Police Department for their dedicated efforts in bringing this case to trial.
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