It’s all about breaking the cycle and keeping people out of jail and cutting down on homelessness in Jacksonville and saving taxpayers money at the same time. And a team of mental health and legal professionals believe they’re on the right track with a program that identifies and treats repeat offenders with severe mental illness and substance abuse problems.
Mental health program keeping people arrested out of jail, hospitals wsls.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wsls.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Jameel Malik Davidson, 25, was facing charges of first-degree murder in the Jan. 18, 2017, stabbing death of 86-year-old Gerald Jerry Gillespie in Gillespie s apartment off Owen Drive.
On May 14, Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Jim Ammons declared the jury hung after jurors were unable to agree on a verdict following two days of deliberations.
The Cumberland County District Attorney s office has yet to file for a retrial, but prosecutors expect to do so at their next trial-setting conference June 11, District Attorney Billy West said Friday.
Until then, prosecutors will review the evidence from the case with investigators, he said.
Davidson s case took a while to get before a jury after his attorney in 2018 requested additional mental health exams alleging his client was incompetent to stand trial. Upon return of these additional exams, Davidson was found to be competent.