Mother of victim in Javaris Crittenton homicide blindsided by ex-NBA player’s early release

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

Former NBA player and Georgia Tech standout Javaris Crittenton was released from prison on Friday after serving a 10-year sentence for the 2011 murder of 22-year-old Jullian Jones. But the victim’s mother now claims that the family was unaware that Crittenton had cut a deal to secure an early release. 

Crittenton, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft and went on to play for the Washington Wizards, was arrested alongside his cousin Douglas Gamble in 2011 after gunning down the Georgia mother of four. 

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Javaris Crittenton (R) appears in Los Angeles Superior Court for an extradition hearing with his attorney Brian Steel August 31, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Al Seib-Pool/Getty Images)

He faced several charges including murder, but eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in 2015 and was subsequently sentenced to 23 years in prison. 

SISTER OF CLIPPERS’ KAWHI LEONARD GIVEN LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE FOR 2019 KILLING OF ELDERLY WOMAN: REPORT

But just eight years later, Crittenton is a free man. 

Former Fulton County district attorney Paul Howard, the uncle of former NBA star Dwight Howard, made another deal with Crittenton in 2016 to reduce his sentence to 10 years if could prove that he learned from his mistakes and be an example for others not to repeat his, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Crittenton and Dwight Howard, according to the report, were former high school teammates. 

Javaris Crittenton #8 of the Washington Wizards takes a break from the action during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 1, 2009 at FedExForum in