Former Prosecutors Argue Georgia Teens Shouldn't Be Charged in Death of Teacher Jason Hughes

The five high school students held responsible for a teacher's death on 5 March should not be criminally charged, according to two former Georgia prosecutors.

There's mounting support for the five teens charged in the death of Jason Hughes, a Gainesville high school teacher who died after one of the teens ran him over with a pickup truck. The suspects went to Hughes' residence on 5 March, intending to litter the house with toilet paper as part of a prom prank.

When they saw Hughes come out of the house, the five teens immediately took off in two vehicles. Hughes chased after them, but tripped and fell on the road, right in front of one of the teens' speeding trucks.

Victim Dies After Unfortunate Prom Prank

At around 11:40pm, deputies who responded to Hughes' home found him lying on the road, unresponsive. All five suspects were at the scene, including Jayden Ryan Wallace, 18, who quickly realised he ran over Hughes with his truck. Hughes later died from his injuries at the hospital.

Wallace has been charged with reckless driving and first-degree homicide. Elijah Tate Owens, 18, Aiden Hucks, 18, Ana Katherine Luque, 18, and Ariana Cruz, 18, were charged with littering on private property and criminal trespass.

Victim's Family Wants the Criminal Charges Dropped

Hughes' family has addressed the incident in the aftermath. Per People, they said the victim knew and loved the five students. The family also implored the authorities to drop the criminal charges.

A former prosecutor said the case does not merit the charges filed. 'It doesn't seem like any charges would be necessary,' Bruce Udolf, a former Hall County district attorney, told the outlet. 'Clearly, these kids have learned a painful life lesson that no misdemeanour is ever going to add to,' he added.

Lydia Sartain, a former Gainesville district attorney, also disputed the charges. 'In all of these cases, they are really fact-based, and so you have to look at what are the facts,' she said.

'Apparently, the teacher was aware that these students were going to come over to his house as a part of these junior-senior activities and most likely, understood that they were coming over to roll, as they call it, his yard.' Sartain added that according to Hughes' wife, he also anticipated, even celebrated, such prom pranks as an annual tradition.

Lawyer Says Victim's Death Was an Accident

'If those were the facts, then it could be that it was simply an accident, and nobody acted with any criminal intent, and nobody acted with any degree of negligence,' Sartain asserted.

That foreknowledge meant Hughes expected the students to prank his home on the night of the incident. Otherwise, it could be a different scenario, according to Sartain. 'In that case, the prosecutor would have to decide, is it is a misdemeanour or a felony?'

Lee Darragh, the current Hall County district attorney, said it's unlikely the students ever foresaw the consequence of their deadly prank. 'I'll be meeting [Hughes'] family after an appropriate time and make decisions about the matter shortly thereafter,' he told the outlet.