A Gary man was acquitted on all counts Wednesday afternoon of beating his landlord in the head with a gun in February 2023.
Jomo Bennett, 31, was charged with three counts of felony battery, one count of pointing a firearm and two misdemeanors.
Jurors deliberated for about a half-hour. The trial appeared to come down to who they decided was in the wrong.
Deputy Prosecutor Jacob Brandewie argued Bennett was the aggressor. Defense lawyer John Cantrell said it was self-defense.
Landlord Cornelius Nnadi, then 88, told police he and his son asked to come inside Bennett’s apartment around 12 p.m. Feb. 16, 2023, on the 3500 block of Jackson Street in Gary to fix a water leak in the bathroom that was dripping into the downstairs unit.
Bennett allegedly got angry, telling him he would move out soon, according to court documents. He allegedly started pushing the landlord into his son, as the son tried to separate them.
Bennett took the stand on Wednesday, calmly telling jurors that he, his girlfriend and their child were in the process of moving out of the apartment in a few weeks.
They were having problems with rodents and roaches. There was too much “drama” in the building – meaning it had a lot of police calls. On Tuesday, Gary Police Sgt. Shanesha Joseph told Brandewie she knew the building well from working in the neighborhood for 15 years.
Bennett heard a knock at his door on Feb. 16, 2023, and grabbed a gun. He holstered it when realizing it was the landlord’s son, Benedict Nnadi.
The man showed up to fix a leak he said was going into the apartment downstairs. As he was trying to tell him to come back, the landlord Cornelius Nnadi opened a door and walked in. All three men went into the bathroom, looking at the ceiling’s mold.
Soon, an altercation broke out with Cornelius grabbing his hair and Benedict grabbing him by the neck, Bennett testified.
“I feared..for my life,” he said.
He grabbed the gun from his holster and hit Cornelius once in the head. He followed the men out to make sure they didn’t return.
“I wanted to press charges,” Bennett said. “I’ve never been overpowered like that before.”
Records show Bennett rejected a plea offer on Feb. 21. The trial was before Judge Natalie Bokota.
mcolias@post-trib.com
