Brandon Joyner

Today I watched several episodes of a new show I had never seen before, Accused: Guilty or Innocent from A&E. There is only part of the one season available but it was enough to get me hooked. When I am researching cases I generally have the television on and adding to my list of cases. Those cases generally go to the end of my list but several of the cases I heard today are next in line to be researched, including this one.

This case is not a murder case, which is a rarity for me but it is still an interesting case nonetheless. This was an assault case in which a man was severely injured. The question was whether the “perpetrator,” Brandon Joyner had struck the victim, David Turner, in self defense, or in the defense of another. The twenty year old, Joyner, was looking at the possibility of spending twenty years behind bars.

On the night of March 24, 2017 Brandon Joyner was outside his Spartenburg South Carolina home with some friends when he heard an argument across the street and a few doors down. A man named David Turner, age sixty-two, lived in the home with his wife. It was implied that the Turners' daughter, Sade and her husband, Christopher Caines also lived in the home because Brandon knew them also. However, they may not have actually resided with her parents at the time, but were there. Brandon realized that the fight he was hearing, and seeing, was between David Turner and his son in law Christopher Caines.

The television show I watched stated that Caines was disabled from a stroke and while that too may have been correct, it seems that he suffered from cancer, possibly brain cancer, that could have led to a stroke. Brandon's mother suffered from a seizure disorder and he was keenly aware of the disabled and those in need. As Brandon first caught wind of the argument he had taken out his phone and began recording. It was noted by the investigator that worked for his attorney later that unlike so many other people who see injustice being done to someone and they just stand by and use their phone to record the incident Brandon actually turned his off and went to go help Mr. Caines.

However, what Brandon did record in his 30 second video was very important to his case. Before shutting off his phone and heading across the street Brandon had audio of David Turner saying “I'm going to fuck this motherfucker up.” Brandon then headed over to assist Christopher Caines who was apparently attempting to get into a vehicle. According to Brandon as he went over to assist David Turner had got into a boxing stance and threatened him. Brandon claimed that he threw one punch and that David Turner fell to the ground. It was the fall and the hit to his head that had caused the most damage. Some reports say that David Turner lives in a “vegetative state.” Other reports say that he was left paralyzed; yet others refer to brain damage that caused him to need help caring for himself for everything.

Prior to going to trial the prosecution offered a plea deal to Brandon. The deal would have basically given him probation for a few years and if he stayed out of trouble it would be expunged from his record. In the meantime his attorney's were asking for an immunity hearing which means they were asking a judge to look at the evidence and determine for himself if a trial was warranted. Brandon debated on taking the plea but his family, and his attorney, convinced him to wait until after the immunity hearing because he should not plead guilty to something that he was not guilty of committing. His attorney's spoke to the prosecutors and they had agreed to extend the deal until after the immunity hearing.

At the immunity hearing the judge heard both sides of the case. Turner's family got on the stand and testified about that night. I will go into what they said later because they basically said the same thing, and more, at the later trial. The two sides, the prosecution and the defense, had two different theories and stories as to what happened on that March 2017 night. The following day the judge ruled that based on the evidence and the fact that it so differed depending on the witnesses and which side they were testifying to that it was best that it be put in front of a jury and let them decide. Almost immediately the prosecution let the defense know that the deal they had previously offered was no longer an option. Brandon was crushed. He had told himself if the immunity hearing did not go their way that he would take the plea deal. But, if this is not a case of thanking God for unanswered prayers, I do not know what is.

Brandon's trial began on May 21, 2019 and lasted two days. The prosecution presented their case as one in which Brandon had “interjected himself into a mild family squabble and needlessly assaulted a smaller, older man.” They hammered away on the fact that Brandon was a large boy and much younger than David Tucker. Then Tucker's wife and daughter got on the stand. First his wife testified claiming that nothing had been going on at their home that required Brandon to come over in the first place. She then went on to claim that she watched as Brandon Joyner had struck her husband with a brick, not with his fist as had been initially alleged and which Brandon was claiming. When Tucker's daughter got on the stand she demonstrated how she had “seen” Brandon strike her father with the alleged brick in which she lifted her arms above her head. During cross examination she began to trip over herself and had to admit that she had not seen Brandon actually strike her father and that her demonstration was based on her “perception” of how it was done. She also claimed that she had not seen her father drinking that night while she was there so she could not say if he was intoxicated as had been alleged by the defense.

It seems that the defense only pushed Tuckers wife and daughter only as much as he had to. There were other witnesses to dispute their testimony. First there was a doctor who would testify the injuries that David Tucker had suffered. He testified that all of his injuries had been from the back of the head which was consistent with Brandon's story that when he struck David Tucker he had fallen back, hitting his head on the concrete. The doctor specifically stated that there were no injuries, marks, lacerations or even bruises to the front or top of his head that would have indicated that he had been hit with something as hard as a brick. It was also revealed that Tuckers BAC was .268 at the time of the incident. Also an officer who had responded to the scene on that night testified. She stated that not only had Tucker's daughter stated to her that she had witnessed her father drinking that night, she presented her notes from the night that also stated that.

The defense not only made headway in the prosecutions case but for their part they were able to show the video that Brandon had taken to show that it was hardly a “mild family squabble” that was going on and that David Tucker was obviously being belligerent. You do not often see a defendant take the stand but in this case the defense wanted to show that Brandon really was the “gentle giant” they had portrayed him to be and he did extremely well on the stand.

The general rule is that the longer a jury stays out to deliberate the better it is for the defendant. In this case the jury deliberated for a total of twelve minutes. It did not sound good but the defense, and especially Brandon Joyner, were pleasantly surprised with the jury came back with a verdict of not guilty.

I should be clear that it is sad that David Tucker was severely injured. There is a part of me that feels bad for his family. I got the distinct impression watching the television show and during my research that he was likely an alcoholic and violent man until this incident in 2017. Families of alcoholics will often protect them in many ways whether it be for their safety or their reputation. I was once married to an alcoholic when I was very young and I admit looking back that at least in the beginning I made excuses for him and his behaviors. The problem that I have here is that the family was apparently continuing to do this after he was injured but at the expense of an innocent young man who had wanted to do nothing more than help someone in need until he was threatened.

Watching the television show based on Brandon's story and seeing all that he was going through with the uncertainty about going to trial really tugged at my heart strings. This is a young man who could have lost his freedom for nearly two decades and be forced to enter the prison environment. This would have been a huge disservice. I hope to be able to Google Brandon Joyner's name one day and see that he has done wonderful things!!