A city man accused of fatally shooting Naquan Ellis must decide whether cooperating with the state in an unrelated case is worth getting five years shaved off his sentence as part of a plea package presented by prosecutors Monday.
Grady A. Blue III
Grady Blue III, 22, was indicted in February on counts of murder, aggravated assault and weapons offenses in connection with the June 2014 death of 23-year-old Ellis, who suffered a gunshot wound to the chest after he was struck in a parking lot of the North 25 housing complex. A woman was also hit by gunfire but did not sustain serious injuries.
Under the terms of a plea agreement extended by prosecutors, Blue would be required to plead guilty to aggravated manslaughter and cooperate in another unspecified matter in exchange for a 25-year prison term.
The alternative calls for Blue to serve 30 years in state prison for murder, Assistant Prosecutor Kathleen Petrucci said.
Both pleas would also require Blue to plead guilty to an unlawful possession of a weapon charge for a 10-year sentence, which would run concurrently, prosecutors said. Petrucci would not reveal which case prosecutors are seeking Blue’s help. He is being held on $1 million.