The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff, Wire Reports

Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 07:27 PM

Chilling Testimony In Zaevion Dobson Murder Trial Leaving Dobson's Mom In Tears

REPORT FROM WVLT TV-Channel 8, Knoxville

Emotional testimonies during the Zaevion Dobson murder trial took jurors back to the night the Fulton football standout died while shielding friends from a barrage of bullets.

Christopher Drone Bassett, Kipling Deshawn Colbert and Richard Gregory Williams III all face first-degree murder charges in connection with the Dec. 17, 2015, death of the Knoxville teen who was posthumously honored for his courage.

Zaevion's mother, Zenobia, left the courtroom as tears flooded down her face. Her anguished cries were so loud that the defense tried to persuade the judge to grant a mistrial without success. This comes after a Knoxville police officer presented the jury the clothes Zenobia's son wore the night he was killed in Lonsdale.

Officer Fine showed the courtroom an area where a bullet punctured Zaevion's black sweatshirt and the bullet used to end his life.

Judge Sword encouraged jurors to judge the case on the facts, but added, "We can all understand a mother's pain."

After the court resumed for lunch, the state called Larry North to the stand. North said he is related to Kipling Colbert Jr., one of the three men accused of murdering Zaevion.

The state showed North a rap video with the title "L.I.E. Gang." North identified Kipling Colbert Jr., Richard Williams and Christopher Bassett in the video.

Defense attorneys for Bassett and Williams defended their involvement in a rap video authorities call gang-related.

"Because of this video, the state of Tennessee is going to try to get you to think they [Bassett,Williams and Colbert] are gang members. They just want to be rappers," Colbert's attorney challenged Tuesday.

North called a Snapchat conversation with Kipling Colbert Jr. "distant" because Colbert heard he spoke to investigators. North also reported receiving a text message from Richard Williams saying, "We ain't chill in a minute." When prosecutors asked Larry what happened next when he and Williams met at some point, North said, "I don't know what you're asking, but I was shot."

After North testified he was shot one time in the arm and seven times in the leg while meeting Williams at Townview Apartments, the defense tried to strike his statements.