What was Dee Jay Daniels accused of? The Hughley’s star credits TV dad for murder trial acquittal

Entertainment Weekly on March 29 reported that Dee Jay Daniels, who was accused and later acquitted of murder charges, recalls that his onscreen 'Pops,' D.L Hughley from The Hughleys, offered him support during his murder trial and even credits him for his acquittal as the latter served as a voluntary character witness for Dee Jay.

Dee Jay Daniels played the role of Michael Hughley, the youngest son of Darryl Hughley, played by D.L. Hughley, in the American sitcom The Hughleys (1998-2002). It was in 2011, almost a decade after The Hughleys stopped airing, that Dee Jay Daniels (aka Dorjan Lyndell Daniels), along with two others, were arrested in association with the fatal stabbing of John Joseph "J.J." Lewis outside Chitiva's Bar and Grill in Stockton, Calif. In the trial held in 2012, Daniels was acquitted of the charges against him.

According to Entertainment Weekly, in the second episode of Investigation Discovery's docuseries, Hollywood Demons, titled "Child Stars Gone Violent," Dee Jay recalled that D.L. Hughley was present at the trial and even served as a voluntary character witness for him.

"I was going to court, and the correctional officers gotta direct you to court, and they were like Daniels, did you know D.L. Hughley is here?...the fact that he actually came down and spoke for my behalf, let people know, 'Hey, bro, he's like this, and he's like this, and he's like this. He's not that guy you are trying to pin him out to be, like stop that s---." - Dee Jay Daniels as cited by Entertainment Weekly

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More Details on Dee Jay Daniels's Arrest and Later Acquittal

Dee Jay Daniels (then 23), Marcus McCliman (then 26), and Djuane Nunley (then 27) were arrested in 2011 in connection with the stabbing of 26-year-old John Joseph "J.J." Lewis outside Chitiva's Bar and Grill in Stockton, Calif. An unidentified woman was also reportedly critically injured, but she survived.

It is reported that in 2011, Dee Jay and the two others got into a fight with John Lewis outside the bar, which eventually led to John Louis being stabbed to death. According to multiple reports, in 2012, they were arrested; Dee Jay was charged with "possession of marijuana, gang activity, and premeditated murder."

According to The Mirror, Dee Jay Daniels's attorney argued to have charges against him dropped as Dee Jay did not have any idea the fight was going to take place and further argued that Dee Jay did not stab the victim. The motion was denied, and the prosecutors argued that the three men tried to provoke the victim with gang signs and were trying to make the murder look gang-related.

In 2012, during the trial, B.L Hughely appeared as a character witness for Dee Jay and testified for him in court. At the end of the trial, the jury concluded that Marcus McCliman was responsible for the stabbing and found him guilty of manslaughter. Dee Jay and Djuane were acquitted in December 2012.