WOODBURY — TheDeptford Townshippolice officer accused of fatally shooting a friend in the head in January was indicted on murder and weapons charges Wednesday, an attorney representing the victim’s family said.
The officer, 29-year-old James Stuart, allegedly shot 27-year-old David Compton of Woodbury inside Stuart’s township home while he was off duty around 5 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2013.
Compton died Jan. 11 from his injuries, and Stuart was charged with first-degree murder. As of February, he was suspended from the police force without pay, pending the outcome of the case.
On the morning of the incident, Stuart had initially called a non-emergency township police line to report it. That led to a delay in dispatching medical responders, as dispatchers wondered whether Stuart was only "messing around."
Such pranks by police, the dispatchers mentioned, were not unheard of during early morning hours, and they called a sergeant on duty to verify that the call was real.
Stuart was initially charged with aggravated assault and jailed on $10,000 bail. He posted bail and was released, but was jailed again on $250,000 bail after Compton’s death and the upgraded murder charge.
Audio of Police Officer James Stuart emergency call during Jan. 5, 2013 shooting.The audio of Police Officer James Stuart emergency call during Jan. 5, 2013 shooting with court-ordered redactions.
Daniel Gee, the Marlton-based attorney representing Compton’s family, said Stuart again posted bail and was released.
In addition to murder, Stuart was indicted Wednesday on charges of aggravated manslaughter and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office announced.
He will be scheduled for a pre-arraignment conference, during which he'll receive a copy of the charges against him and investigative reports on the shooting.
Gee released a statement from the victim’s family concerning the indictment. It reads as follows:
We were pleased to learn that a Grand Jury in Gloucester County returned an indictment for murder and weapons possession against James Stuart.
This only reaffirms our belief that Mr. Stuart wrongfully took David’s life during the early morning hours of Jan. 5, 2013. We anxiously await the day when this entire case is presented in court so that everyone will learn the complete truth of the circumstances surrounding David’s death.
We continue to be haunted by the realization that, no matter what happens during Mr. Stuart’s trial, our David is gone forever. No jury verdict can change that.
We can only hope that the upcoming legal proceeding can begin to bring our family some form of closure.
We would like to thank the investigators and attorneys in the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office for the hard work, caring and compassion that they have displayed during this investigation.