Stringer enters formal ‘not guilty’ plea Thurs.
Accused in 2006 murder-arson case
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
The man accused of killing four people and burning their Hoschton home entered a formal plea of not guilty on Thursday.
Henry Lee Stringer, Auburn, is facing the death penalty for allegedly killing his girlfriend, Marvelette J’Laine 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.
Stinger was arrested a year after the murder-arson and was indicted by a Jackson County grand jury in December 2007 on 16 counts related to the case.
During the arraignment hearing, district attorney Rick Bridgeman read the formal charges against Stringer, as presented in the indictment.
Stringer, 35, has been charged with four counts of malice murder, six counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of aggravated battery, two counts of cruelty to children and arson.
The indictment claims Stringer stabbed J’Laine Strickland and Evelyn Strickland, and killed his children by burning the house they were in at the time.
One of Stringer’s court-appointed attorneys, Joseph W. Vigneri, said the defense plans to file “a number of motions,” possibly up to 100. He asked Superior Court Judge Joe Booth to extend the deadline to file motions. Vigneri also said the defense hasn’t finished its discovery process to collect evidence for a trial.
Bridgeman said he’d agree to extending the deadline.
“This is an important case, however, we’d do want it to move forward,” Bridgeman said.
Meanwhile, Stringer remains at the Barrow County Jail.
