Detroit — Cass Tech quarterback Jayru Campbell’s ex-girlfriend gave graphic testimony Friday of an alleged assault that occurred last month in a school stairwell as a video of the incident was played in the courtroom. When asked if she knew Campbell and to describe their relationship, she replied: “He is my ex-boyfriend.” She spoke quietly during her testimony as part of Campbell’s preliminary examination before 36th District Court before Judge Ruth C. Carter and several times had to be asked to speak louder into the microphone. Muffled gasps spread through the courtroom as people watched her on the video being pushed to the ground while repeatedly trying in vain to retrieve her cell phone from Campbell on Sept. 12. “He grabbed me around my waist, picked me up and I lost my balance,” she said. “I grabbed him around the neck because I thought he was going to drop me.” Asked by Assistant Prosecutor Kam M. Towns what Campbell, 17, said when he read the messages on her phone, the ex-girlfriend said: “He said, ‘Wow. Really?’ ” The ex-girlfriend’s grandmother grasped the hand of the girl’s younger sister and dabbed her eyes as they sat next to each other in the second row while watching the video. At some points of the video, the grandmother held her head down with eyes closed, while her younger sister sat riveted with moist eyes. The mom was asked to leave the courtroom before testimony began because she was going to testify as a witness after her daughter left the stand. She later testified about seeing the redness on her daughter’s chest and neck. Campbell, in green jail garb, sat with his elbows on the table, supporting his chin with hands clasped expressionless as the video of the alleged assault was repeatedly shown. At times, Towns and Jeffrey Edison, Campbell’s laywer, asked for the video to be slowed down and paused, asking the ex-girlfriend detailed questions about each frame. The ex-girlfriend described how her neck and chest were red from Campbell repeatedly pushing her away as she tried to grab back her phone. “I was red from my neck down to my chest,” she said. “But there were no bruises.” The ex-girlfriend remained poised throughout her testimony, not expressing any emotion, until asked by Campbell’s lawyer to read a text sent by Campbell after the assault. She began softly crying and said, ‘He said I’m sorry. Please don’t let your mom send me back to jail.’ ” The video also showed several football players racing up the stairs to break up the assault. The ex-girlfriend did not require any medical attention after the alleged assault. Edison said the teenagers had a history of jealousy between them and both knew each other’s phone passwords. Edison also argued the incident wasn’t a street crime. “This was no street robbery,” he said. “He wasn’t trying to steal her phone. He was trying to read the messages.” Towns said the case was continued until Wednesday. Campbell has been arraigned on three charges: assault to do great bodily harm, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in jail, or a $5,000 fine; domestic violence, a misdemeanor worth up to 93 days in jail; and/or a $500 fine, and unarmed robbery, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in jail. He was given a $350,000 cash bond. The alleged assault occurred hours after he was released from jail for body slamming a school security guard in a Cass Tech High School hallway, which was on video. He served nearly two months in jail for the Jan. 22 incident. While in Wayne County jail, Campbell allegedly assaulted another inmate. “We have not received a warrant request for assault allegations that occurred in the Wayne County jail for Mr. Campbell at this time,” Maria Miller, spokeswoman for the Wayne County Prosecutors Office, said Thursday. Campbell led Cass Tech to consecutive Division 1 state titles in 2011 and 2012 and a semifinal spot last year before his arrest involving the security guard. In June, he announced he had withdrawn his commitment to play at Michigan State University. detroitnews/story/news/local/wayne-county/2014/10/03/cass-tech-star-qb-jayru-campbell-back-court/16636145/
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 18:42:24 +0000
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