Murder Suspect To Represent Himself Before Georgia Supreme Court

NORCROSS, GA -- It's rare for defendants to represent themselves in any felony court case, and much more so for someone to do it before the highest court in the state.

But that's what Sherwin Johnson plans to do on Monday.

Johnson, accused of killing an innocent bystander near Norcross in 2014, will act as his own counsel in front of the Georgia Supreme Court on Monday, the Gwinnett Daily Post reports.

Johnson is expected to argue that a Gwinnett judge should have accepted his motion for acquittal in the death of 23-year-old Kevin Pierre.

He also claims the local court system failed to grant his demand for a speedy trial, according to a summary of the case released by the Supreme Court.

Johnson was arrested days after Pierre was killed at Bradford Gwinnett Townhomes on April 13, 2014. Prosecutors say he was one of at least two men firing shots from a moving vehicle.

In 2011, Gwinnett police identified the complex as the epicenter for local branches of the national Gangster Disciples gang.

Johnson received a court-appointed attorney, Scott Drake, but later dismissed him, saying he was ineffective.

Even when Drake was representing him, Johnson filed his own motion for a speedy trial.

Johnson has been in and out of state prison three times since 2005 on charges including aggravated assault. He's been in the Gwinnett County Jail, where he is now being held, 13 times since 1998, the Daily Post reported.

To read the original report from the Gwinnett Daily Post, click here.