Shooting Victim's Family Outraged Over Manslaughter Charge
By: Brittney Johnson
Updated: March 4, 2013
The family of a man shot and killed by his boss is outraged prosecutors charged his alleged shooter with manslaughter instead of murder.
It's the latest in a string of disappointments for a family, fighting for justice since November.
Ernest Hoskins Jr.'s widow Nikkisha is looking forward to the arrival of her new baby but says the journey is bittersweet.
"I hope he has his hair and his personality cause Ernest was awesome," she says. "My son is never going to meet his father he's only going to live with his father's memory."
Her husband was killed during a business meeting in Ward in November, and it took weeks for authorities to arrest his boss Christopher Reynolds. After waiting four months to see Reynolds formally charged the family was dealt another blow.
"How does it drop from first degree murder to manslaughter," she asked.
While Reynolds was arrested on a first degree murder charge, prosecutors elected to take him to trial for manslaughter which carries a much lower maximum sentence.
"There is no way, this was no accident," the victim's mother, Monica Hoskins says.
"I don't feel like 3-10 years is enough punishment for him for what he's done to us," says Nikkisha Hoskins.
They say the charge is just one more hurdle to getting the justice they believe Ernest and his unborn child deserve.
"He owes everybody that loved Ernest, who knew Ernest that Ernest impacted, he owes us his life for taking way Ernest's, that's how I feel," says Nikkisha.
It's the latest in a string of disappointments for a family, fighting for justice since November.
Ernest Hoskins Jr.'s widow Nikkisha is looking forward to the arrival of her new baby but says the journey is bittersweet.
"I hope he has his hair and his personality cause Ernest was awesome," she says. "My son is never going to meet his father he's only going to live with his father's memory."
Her husband was killed during a business meeting in Ward in November, and it took weeks for authorities to arrest his boss Christopher Reynolds. After waiting four months to see Reynolds formally charged the family was dealt another blow.
"How does it drop from first degree murder to manslaughter," she asked.
While Reynolds was arrested on a first degree murder charge, prosecutors elected to take him to trial for manslaughter which carries a much lower maximum sentence.
"There is no way, this was no accident," the victim's mother, Monica Hoskins says.
"I don't feel like 3-10 years is enough punishment for him for what he's done to us," says Nikkisha Hoskins.
They say the charge is just one more hurdle to getting the justice they believe Ernest and his unborn child deserve.
"He owes everybody that loved Ernest, who knew Ernest that Ernest impacted, he owes us his life for taking way Ernest's, that's how I feel," says Nikkisha.
