Attorney: Bridgeport man accused of stabbing family has mental health issues, traumatic brain injury
Bridgeport police said Jahmar Whittingham, 44, stabbed his grandmother, uncle and another male relative at the home where they all live on Laurel Avenue.
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A Bridgeport man accused of fatally stabbing his uncle and injuring two other family members - his 86-year-old grandmother and a 62-year-old man related by marriage - was arraigned on Tuesday.
Jahmar Whittingham, 44, went before a judge on charges of murder, first-degree assault on an elderly person, first-degree assault and home invasion.
Bridgeport police said Whittingham was taken into custody Monday after officers were called to the home where the family lives in the 900 block of Laurel Avenue around 5 a.m.
Police told News 12 that Whittingham had been staying with his grandmother and uncle, 60-year-old Eric Johnson, on the first floor and stabbed both of them on the porch. Whittingham then kicked in the door to the home’s second-floor apartment, where two other relatives live, and attacked one of the men there, according to police. First responders rushed all three victims to the hospital, but Johnson didn’t survive.
“It's a fairly strong case for the state,” said senior assistant state’s attorney Edward Lee Miller during Whittingham’s court appearance. “When police arrived on scene, he was observed with the weapon in hand, which turned out to be a 10-inch kitchen knife, Your Honor, with a 6-inch blade covered in blood.”
Police said officers ordered Whittingham to drop the knife, which he did, before advancing towards officers and telling them they’d have to shoot him.
“He was then subsequently Tased by officers, rapidly pulled those Taser prongs out of his body, then walked away only to be tackled by police officers,” Miller stated, requesting that bond be set at $2 million.
Public defender Michael Paris, who represented Whittingham in court, asked the judge to go with the bail commissioner's recommendation of a $1 million bond.
“He has no criminal history. He has a lot of family support. There are several family members here in the gallery, including two sisters, a brother and cousins,” Paris told the judge. “Mr. Whittingham suffers from serious mental health conditions as well as a previous traumatic brain injury.”
Judge Maureen Dennis set bond at $1.5 million. Dennis also issued protective orders barring Whittingham from contact with the two surviving victims and another relative who lives on the second floor but wasn’t injured.
One of Whittingham’s loved ones said, “We love you,” as he was led out of court. They had no comment following the proceedings.
Police told News 12 that both injured victims remain in the intensive care unit after emergency surgery and are expected to survive.
Whittingham returns to court on July 7.
