COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Less than a week after Jayvon Hatchett was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the racially motivated aggravated assault of an AutoZone worker, he was scheduled to be back in a Muscogee County Superior Court Wednesday morning.
Hatchett, who is black, was scheduled to enter a guilty plea in the September 2020 jailhouse murder of his white cellmate, Eddie Nelson, Jr.
Instead, an ambulance was called to the Columbus Government Center and EMS personnel could be seen treating Hatchett. The prisoner was taken from the fourth-floor holding cell down to the ground floor. Hatchett was taken from the Government Center in an ambulance and you can see it in the exclusive WRBL video above.
Here’s what Public Defender Steve Craft, who represented Hatchett in the AutoZone stabbing case, had to say this morning about Hatchett’s condition.
“This morning, Jayvon Hatchett was downstairs in the holding cell for our hearing and he developed chest pains and difficulty breathing. EMS was called. He was assessed on the scene then transported to Piedmont for further evaluation…” said Craft. “…there won’t be any proceedings today.”
Last week, Hatchett used a not guilty by reason of insanity defense in the AutoZone case where he stabbed Hunt seven times, leaving him in a wheelchair and unable to work. In around two hours, the jury convicted Hatchett, who has said to police he wanted to “kill a white man” after he watched video of police brutality against a black man in Wisconsin.
In September of 2020 — two weeks after the AutoZone attack – Hatchett allegedly beat Nelson to death. If convicted, Hatchett faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Judge Martin is presiding over both cases. WRBL will keep you updated on re-scheduled court room proceedings.
Previous Coverage:
Superior Court jury convicts Columbus man in racially motivated 2020 AutoZone attack
‘I diagnosed him with schizoaffective disorder…’: Psychologist takes the stand in day four of Jayvon Hatchett trial
