Man pleads guilty during murder trial, then withdraws plea

A man who was standing trial in a fatal shooting decided to plead guilty during jury selection, but the night after pleading guilty, he changed his mind and asked the judge the next morning if he could withdraw his plea.

Markevion Antwan Weldon pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Jabar Nichols Jr., who he was accused of shooting and killing Sept. 6, 2020, while Nichols was sitting on the front porch of a home in Gastonia.

Under the terms of the plea deal, Weldon would have been sentenced to 13 to almost 17 years in prison.

Weldon was supposed to be sentenced Wednesday morning, but Tuesday night, he texted his then-lawyer, Aaron Lee, and said he had changed his mind.

Once arriving at court, Weldon told Judge R. Gregory Horne that he didn't fully understand the plea deal he had accepted.

Prosecutor Megan Rhoden said that she and the other prosecutor, Stephanie Hamlin, struggled over whether to even offer Weldon the plea deal. She said the state intends to again take the case to trial.

Weldon's trial had started with jury selection Monday afternoon, but it was halted when he agreed to plead guilty.

Horne allowed Weldon to withdraw his plea. Weldon's attorneys, Aaron and Kelsey Lee, asked to withdraw from Weldon's case, and Horne granted their request. Weldon will be appointed a new attorney.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Man pleads guilty during murder trial, then withdraws plea