William Hunt pleaded innocent Thursday to first-degree murder while armed and obstruction of justice in the May 2011 murder of George White.
Derrick Hagler, Hunt’s co-defendant, was also indicted on two counts of obstruction of justice and a perjury charge for providing false information to police in the stabbing of White, documents say.
Three years ago, police found White, 48, unconscious and unresponsive lying on the kitchen floor in his apartment on the 400 block of Newcomb Street Southeast suffering from multiple stab wounds.
White was stabbed 59 times during an argument over a lawnmower, charging documents say.
According to court documents, Hunt, 57, worked as a custodian in the apartment building and had been mowing the lawn around 11 a.m. when White confronted him, complaining the noise from the lawnmower was bothering him and that he could hear the sound of the lawnmower from inside his apartment. According to a witness, Hunt said when he went to White’s apartment to speak with him further, White slammed his door on Hunt’s hand.
Court documents say the witness, who told police that Hunt told him what happened, said Hunt then entered White’s apartment and stabbed White, killing him. Hunt told the witness he then went back outside and continued to finish cutting the grass.
Hunt is scheduled for a status hearing December 17 at 10:15 a.m. before Judge Rhonda Reid Winston.
A copy of the indictment is below:
