A man accused of murder in a deadly shooting at a county “juke joint” last summer has been booked back in to the Sampson County Detention Center after a local judge ordered him there under $1 million bond.

James Michael Cromartie Jr., 29, set to go on trial in July, was placed back behind bars on the charges this week after he initially posted bond last September. Cromartie stands charged with murder and possession of a firearm by a felon in the deadly shooting of Gabriel Kerr, 22.

He posted $500,000 bond in September 2008 and was awaiting trial as a free man.

However, a motion was filed March 30 in Sampson County Superior Court by Assistant District Attorney Robert Thigpen requesting Cromartie’s bond be revoked. That motion was made after Thigpen learned that Cromartie had been arrested on Jan. 26, 2009, in Cumberland County, the assistant district attorney said.

Cromartie was taken into custody by Cumberland authorities that day on charges of possession of firearm by felon, carrying a concealed gun, driving while impaired and driving while license revoked. Cromartie also has felony drug conspiracy charges pending against him in Sampson, according to state court records.

On Wednesday, Senior Resident Superior Court Judge W. Allen Cobb acted on Thigpen’s motion. The judge ruled that the bond would not be revoked, which would have placed Cromartie in jail without privilege of any bond, but would be doubled to $1 million.

He is set to go to trial in Kerr’s murder on July 13.

Kerr suffered fatal gunshot wounds July 1, 2008, following a dispute at a Garland-area nightclub known as the Cowboys Club. Authorities said words were exchanged between Kerr and Cromartie just before gunshots were fired.

When sheriff’s deputies arrived at the nightclub on Garland Airport Road, they discovered the body of Kerr in the backyard at the residence. Investigators with the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office and N.C. State Bureau of Investigation identified Cromartie as a possible suspect and he turned himself in to law enforcement authorities amidst an extensive manhunt the same day.

Father reacts

Since his murder, the family of Gabriel Kerr has cried for justice.

The victim’s father, Michael A. Kerr, wants justice for not just one son, but two struck down by gunfire. A letter written from behind bars — he is being held on unrelated charges in the Sampson County Detention Center under $250,000 — calls for fairness. The letter was delivered to The Sampson Independent by a family member.

“I am the victim’s father and for the first time I have a voice,” writes Kerr.

He recalled how both of his sons were born in Germany during his 12-year career with the U.S. Army. They were his boys and both were “murdered in the first degree ... before several witness(es),” he stated. Kerr points to a perceived lack of justice in the fatal shootings.

A bullet shot by Johnnie J. Newkirk, 69, of 710 Wilbur Pridgen Road, Harrells, claimed the life of Michael Kerr’s other son, Anthony Lamont Kerr, in May 2007.

Initially incarcerated without privilege of bond on a charge of second degree murder, Newkirk saw his bond set at $50,000 during a court appearance the next month and was released after posting it.

Newkirk was subsequently convicted of involuntary manslaughter in April 2008 and sentenced to 13 months. He is projected to be released in June, according to the N.C. Department of Corrections.

In his letter, Kerr states that both shooting suspects, Newkirk and Cromartie, were allowed to post bond and be released despite the crimes (the letter was written before Cromartie was placed back behind bars Wednesday). He pointed to Newkirk’s reduced charge and short sentence. He referred to the “violent shooting record” had by Cromartie.

According to the Department of Corrections, Cromartie has previously been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, stemming from a June 2003 conviction in connection with a similar Sampson nightclub shooting.

“The community is threatened because of this,” Kerr stated.

Kerr explained his own plight, saying he is currently in the Detention Center under $250,000 bond, accused of possession of stolen goods.

Arrest records also show that Kerr was charged with nine separate felony counts of discharging a firearm into occupied property, as well as possession of a firearm by a felon, stemming from a Sept. 20, 2008, shooting. Sheriff’s investigators said Kerr shot at a residence at 161 Longview Lake Road, Garland, an incident in which Sharon James was listed as the victim. They did not know if the incident was retaliatory in nature.

He was placed under $100,000 bond for those charges. But, despite his own alleged transgressions, Kerr said his $250,000 bond is “(five) times more than one of my son’s killers,” he notes, referring to Newkirk.

“My treatment is cruel and unusual,” Kerr states. “My family and I seek justice and equal and fair treatment.”

Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 121, or by e-mail at sicrime@myclintonnc.com.