Sentencing delayed for Vermont man accused of murder
A Vermont man accused of a 2019 murder appeared in court on Tuesday for what was supposed to be his sentencing before that decision was delayed.
Alfred "Wish Kid" Wisher is accused of killing Khyann Jones, 28, back in 2019, shooting him in the head following an argument. According to court documents, that argument started after Jones accused Wisher of cheating on his girlfriend. Wisher was arrested after four months on the run, eventually being captured in Georgia.
Wisher accepted a plea deal for the murder on Monday. However, while in court for his sentencing, he requested to withdraw that plea, claiming he agreed to it while under duress by his attorney. Wisher said his lawyer made him admit to committing acts that he did not do, as outlined in the plea deal.
This came after Jones' mother, Alena Jones, made an impassioned impact statement, during which she described how devastated she was to have lost her son -- and with how long the court process has taken.
Following Wisher's request to withdraw the plea, the judge said he is not sure of the validity of Wisher's claims, especially after his admission of guilt in court the previous day.
Sentencing has now been pushed back, and a new hearing will be scheduled to look into those claims.
After the hearing ended, the victim's family said they could not understand how anyone could do anything as terrible as what Wisher was accused of.
"Moving forward, I just want justice for my twin brother," Kianna Jones, Khyann's sister, said.
Chittenden County Prosecutor, Sarah George explained that this is an unusual situation in court proceedings. However, she said her office is ready to go to trial if that is the outcome of the hearing.
Wisher is already facing federal charges in Georgia; further dates for the duress investigation have not been scheduled yet.