Kriti Mehrotra
When 22-year-old Julian Jones was shot to death outside her own home on August 19, 2011, she left behind a mother, a brother, a fiancé, four young kids, and adoptive parents who were her everything. Thankfully, as explored in Netflix’s ‘Untold: Shooting Guards ‘, her perpetrator was quickly identified as former NBA athlete Javaris Crittenton and arrested, bringing her family a sense of closure. However, they, especially her adoptive mother, June Woods, didn’t believe true justice was served, owing to how the athlete was able to be released after just 10 years of prison.
June Woods Was Among the First to Find Out About Her Daughter’s Murder
It was around the late 1980s that Julian Jones was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to a woman by the name of Mae Lois Jones, but she was primarily raised by June Woods and Virgil Pinkney. The couple had actually adopted her when she was just a toddler, so they were her parents in every sense of the word for most of her life, and they shared a tight-knit bond. In fact, it was June who gave her daughter the nickname “Peepeye,” upon noticing that the toddler slept with one eye open to be aware of her surroundings, only for the latter to absolutely love it, so it stuck around.
June still remembers that even as her daughter grew up, she used to say that her name was not Julian; it was Peepeye, which is just one example of her fun-loving, bright personality. The adoptive mother has since also asserted that her daughter was kind, caring, and affectionate in every way, especially as she liked caring for others by cooking for them – she was a family person who loved to cook. Therefore, when she got the call about the mother of 4 having been shot right outside her 2911 Macon Drive home in a drive-by shooting, she immediately rushed there.
June admittedly drove her car at 80 miles an hour to reach her daughter as quickly as possible, but to no avail. She still remembers that Julian had been shot in the femur part of her leg, and sadly, even though she was immediately rushed to the hospital, she didn’t survive her injuries. It was then left to June to break this terrible news to her four grandkids – aged between 8 and newborn – and the image of how they immediately started crying and Julian’s eldest couldn’t even believe it is something that haunts her to this day. After all, a mother was taken away from her kids that day, forcing them to grow up and experience all the important milestones of life without their mom.
June Woods Has Forgiven Her Daughter’s Killer, But Not Forgotten His Actions
It was in April 2015 when Javaris Crittenton was to stand trial for the charge of murder in connection with Julian’s 2011 case. However, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of voluntary manslaughter and possession of weapons just before it was to commence. As a result, he was subsequently sentenced to 23 years behind bars, and it was during the hearing that June made a victim impact statement. “My daughter was robbed of her life,” she candidly said through tears. “The only way her children will know their mom now is through stories and pictures.” It’s also imperative to note that Javaris’ cousin, Douglas Gamble, the driver of the vehicle on that fateful day, also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, for which he was handed down three years in prison and 17 years of probation.
However, the shock of a lifetime came for June on April 22, 2023, when Javaris was released from prison after serving just 10 years owing to his reduced sentence. After all, neither she nor anyone else from Julian’s family was even contacted to discuss the new agreement, which they deemed extremely unfair. “I would’ve spoken up [if I had known about this deal then-Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard made. It’s not fair to us. It’s not fair to her children what he did.” Since then, even though grief and pain continue to hang over her family like a dark cloud, June has admittedly forgiven Javaris because that’s what her faith has guided her towards.
Nevertheless, she has not forgotten his actions because she believes doing so would be a true injustice to not only her family but also Julian’s memory and her legacy. So, still based out of Atlanta, Georgia, she now seems to be doing her best to move forward in life while being surrounded by loved ones at every turn. Spending quality time with her mother, Julian’s brother Christopher, and all her grandchildren seems to be her priority these days, especially after she sadly also lost her sister, April Woods-Howell, in December 2024.
Read More: Javaris Crittenton: Where is the Ex-NBA Athlete Now?
