Murder-arson defendant appears for first hearing
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Henry Lee Stringer — the Auburn man accused of killing four people and setting their Hoschton home on fire in 2006 — spoke few words during his first public court hearing on Tuesday.
The hearing was the first in what could potentially be many court appearances before his trial. The hearing was held to make sure the defendant’s attorneys were qualified to handle a death penalty case. Stringer’s court-appointed attorneys are Christian G. Lamar and Joseph W. Vigneri, both of the Office of the Georgia Capital Defender.
During the hearing, Superior Court Judge Joe Booth questioned the qualifications of Lamar and Vigneri.
Stringer is facing the death penalty for allegedly killing his girlfriend, Marvelette Strickland, 29, their children J’Majuan Stringer, 4, and J’Lasia Stringer, 2, and Marvelette’s mother, Evelyn Strickland, 68. Their bodies were found inside their burning Pendergrass Road (Ga. Hwy. 332) house in Jackson County on May 30, 2006.
Stringer was arrested in Barrow County a year after the murder-arson. A Jackson County grand jury indicted him in December 2007 on 16 counts related to the case. Stringer has plead not guilty to the charges.
For Tuesday’s brief hearing, Stringer was brought into the courtroom in a orange and white prison jump suit. He spoke to his attorneys before the proceeding started, and waved to several loved ones in the courtroom at the end of the hearing.
Judge Booth set an arraignment date for Stringer on Thursday, April 17, at 1 p.m. During the arraignment, the formal charges against Stringer will be presented, Lamar said. Following the arraignment, the judge will determine the motions filing schedule, he added.
