Crime & Safety
Murder Trial of Accused Killer of Popular Bartender Set to Begin Monday
Jonathan Redding charged with murder, armed robbery, other charges
Jonathan Redding, the man accused of murdering popular southeast Atlanta bartender John Henderson, is scheduled to go to trial Mon., Feb. 7 at 9:30 a.m. at the Fulton County Courthouse.
Henderson was killed Jan. 7, 2009, during an attempted robbery of the now-defunct Standard Restaurant and Bar on Memorial Drive in Grant Park.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams will hear the case.
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Redding is charged with:
- murder,
- armed robbery (4 counts),
- aggravated assault (3 counts),
- false imprisonment (2 counts),
- burglary,
- theft by receiving stolen property (2 counts) and
- possession of firearm during the commission of a felony (3 counts).
The shooting death sparked the beginning of a citywide, grassroots revolt against Atlanta’s increasing crime problems that ranged from burglaries to armed robberies to murder.
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Just one day after Henderson’s murder, hundreds of individuals from across the city gathered at the Standard to hold a vigil in his memory.
Atlantans Together Against Crime grew to over 10,000 members within months and leaders in neighborhoods that had been under siege began speaking out and demanding answers and action from then-Mayor Shirley Franklin and then-Chief of Police Richard Pennington.
Henderson’s murder – along with ATAC and the outcry from Atlanta neighborhoods – played a singular role in making crime the centerpiece of the 2009 Atlanta mayoral campaign.
Kyle Keyser began ATAC along with Rob Downs and Tessa Horehled. The group still has a combined Facebook and email reach of over 10,000.
“It was the Henderson vigil where I was handing out flyers for, at the time, ATACC (Atlantans Together Against Crime & Cutbacks), where I met Rob and Tessa, “ Keyser said in an interview with East Atlanta Patch Thursday. “We teamed up to get the word out. And we definitely did.
“The Henderson murder was a tipping point for many in the community,” Keyser said. “Through its tragedy, it brought us all together and brought change. It feels good to see our collective action – in response to this tragedy – effecting positive change for all in the city.”