The son of convicted Alabama shooting judge Johnny Hardwick has been charged with attempted murder and accused of repeatedly stabbing and shooting a man in the face.
Khalfani Hardwick, 36, made his first court appearance Tuesday after he is accused of fatally shooting his father, the presiding judge for the Montgomery County 15th Judicial Circuit, inside his home in Montgomery on Saturday.
The son was initially charged with first-degree domestic violence and prohibited possession of a firearm, but prosecutors announced Tuesday there was enough evidence to upgrade the charges to attempted murder. WSFA reported.
Hardwick allegedly stabbed his father multiple times in the face and then shot him in the face before fleeing. AL.com reportedhe said, citing court records released Monday.
Hardwick’s current condition was not immediately known.
According to WSFA, Khalfani has had trouble finding a lawyer and all circuit judges have resigned because of his father’s ties to the court system.
However, a judge in the 19th Judicial Circuit took over the case and allowed lawyers from that circuit to be brought in, the newspaper reported.
Montgomery County Attorney Darryl Bailey said there is no reason not to prosecute the case.
“We’re going to treat this case, especially an incident of this kind of violent nature, like any other case. We’re going to pursue it and do what we always do,” he told WSFA. Told.
According to AL.com, police found Khalfani’s abandoned vehicle on Trotman Avenue and a short time later found him on Route 231, where he was taken into custody.
In 2017, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree assault in the 2014 shooting, having originally been charged with attempted murder.
Khalfani shot the man in the back of the head and “left him for dead,” according to court documents cited by AL.com.
He was given a three-year sentence, suspended for three years, and filed for early release after 19 months, the newspaper said.
While on probation, the suspect graduated from Alabama State University with a degree in accounting and received a job offer, but was unable to attend CPA certification classes while on probation, AL.com reported.
“He accepted the punishment for his actions and accepted the opportunity to better himself,” the newspaper said, according to the Alabama Board of Pardons and Parole.
The state attorney general’s office opposed Khalfani’s request, noting that the parole board requires all violent probationers to serve at least 24 months in prison before being considered for early termination. .
“The defendant entered a guilty plea to second-degree assault for allegedly shooting the victim in the back of the head and leaving her unattended. This is a completely violent crime,” the AG’s office said, AL.com reported.
A circuit judge reportedly granted early release on November 5, 2019.
Judge Hardwick, who has served on the 15th Circuit since 2001, was appointed president of the Alabama Circuit Court Judges Association last August.
The 1973 graduate of Alabama State University spearheaded the university’s 50-year reunion and donated more than $250,000 to his alma mater, AL.com reported.
His son is being held in jail on $15,000 bail.
