Everything was emotional that night in Berkeley County after two defendants in a home invasion and murder trial were denied bail by the presiding judge at a pretrial hearing.
Jacob Mouzon, 17, and Drake Campbell, 18, were accused of armed robbery, burglary, attempted murder, and murder. All very violent crimes, the teenagers knew they were going to suffer for their actions, or so they thought. What they didn’t know is their judge in the full courtroom was determined to serve justice.
Upon realization, they did the last thing you’d expect teens capable of murder to do. Amongst the angry judge and full house, they began to start crying like babies.
Mouzo and Mouzon are believed to be the masterminds behind a 2016 home invasion gone wrong.
The teenagers not only murdered Kadeem Johnson, but before doing so, they forced him and his girlfriend at gunpoint into their home to rob them of about $3,000, a purse, and other valuables ransacked from the house. Though they got off with quite a lot, not all of the men were satisfied since the real reason they were there wasn’t just for the money.
There was no struggle in the execution of Johnson. Instead, he was put on his hands and knees, tied up with duct tape, taunted, then shot in the back of the head. After taking care of Johnson, there was still the problem of the girlfriend. This is where the judge became engulfed in rage.
Right after shooting Johnson, one of the teens pointed the gun at the girlfriend. Scared beyond belief, she begged for her life. Though not even law enforcement knows who acted on the girlfriend, she was shot in the chest and hands. Once the crime continued to unfold, it became strikingly worse.
After tying up their loose end, the men fled by stealing two cars. You would think they would leave town, but the Campbell brothers and Mouzon decided to hide near the scene of the crime in a wooded area. They apparently thought no one would expect them to be so close.
Local law enforcement ruined the plan with an anonymous tip and bloodhounds. They found the suspects within two days with minimal injuries from hiding in the woods. However, after the sentencing of the judge, the men probably wished they died in those woods.
Appearing before the court for the first time, Mouzon’s family took their last chance at saving their boy. They claimed he would never break the law again and despite what he had done, they begged for the judge to be light with him. His sister, hoping the judge would approve the bond pleaded with him stating, “Jacob’s my best friend. I know what he did was wrong, I completely understand that, but he’s not a bad person.” But his sister had no idea what kind of judge she was up against.
Campbell’s mother followed suit and tried to portray her son as an upstanding citizen of the United States stating that Campbell had enlisted in the Navy. Though she was talking to a wall. The judge already knew his verdict.
Before conviction, the family of the teens pleaded for bail despite the prosecutor begging for the opposite. The prosecutor further pointed out the difficult investigation and the resources it took to apprehend the men. In that full courtroom, you could hear a mouse scurry as everyone waited in anticipation of the judge’s verdict.
In that anticipation of the decision, the weight of the crimes committed fell upon the men. Tears started streaming from their eyes. In the moment of the situation, these kids faced the consequences of their actions for the first time and it showed on their helpless, fearful faces.
Watch the video below for more details:
Source: AWM
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