Judge’s comments get guilty plea reversed for man accused of shooting at Lil Wayne’s tour bus

MARIETTA — A man who pleaded guilty to shooting at rapper Lil Wayne’s tour bus has had his plea reversed after appealing to the Supreme Court of Georgia.

In his appeal, Jimmy Carlton Winfrey argued that the judge in his case improperly participated in the negotiations he was a part of with the district attorney, and that as a result, his plea was involuntary.

Winfrey is accused of shooting at a tour bus, which occurred as the bus was traveling east on Interstate 285 near the intersection of I-75.

At a pre-trial motions hearing, prosecutors told Cobb Judge Mary Staley Clark that three plea offers had been made to Winfrey, but all three had been rejected, according to a press release from the Georgia Supreme Court.

“… If you want to look around and see what happens to people in gangs in Cobb County, Georgia, you can look at what happened last week to the guy who went to trial and got convicted and pulled – was it 50 years?” Staley Clark was quoted as saying in court documents, adding “My reputation is not that I’m an easy judge. I know it. You know it, the whole community knows it. So if that’s what you want to go up against, be my guest.”

Justices agreed 7-2 that the judge’s comments crossed the line and implied if he did not accept the deal he would be sentenced more harshly.