It was early on the morning of April 20 when Eric Brantley — a well-known musician, bartender and motorcycle enthusiast in the Charleston, SC area — was robbed, then shot and killed by two teens while leaving work.
It would be more than a month before police would apprehend the second of these two suspects, Jahmal Green, who was brought in on petty theft after stealing a “bait” moped with a GPS tracker inside.
It was just the chance that prosecutors in charge of Brantley’s murder were looking for, though — as WCIV reports — the suspect’s attitude during his hearing would only leave some of the victim’s loved ones further infuriated and distressed.
During his hearing on Monday, Green — who just turned 18 last week — appeared relaxed and unconcerned with his murder and armed robbery charges, smiling and muttering while playing with the collar of his prison clothes.
The Post and Courier reports that this demeanor came to a head when Suzanne Sentner, Brantley’s mother, rose to read a statement to the man accused of murdering her son, saying, in part:
“He was a son, a grandson, a brother, an uncle, a godfather and a true friend to more people than you would ever know in your life.
Eric was also a real man. If you and De’Andre Murphy had tried to rob him without hiding behind guns, I can guarantee that the outcome would have been much different.”
It was at this point that Green’s nonchalant attitude seemed to crack, interrupting the grieving mother’s statement with:
“Shut the f**k up.”