Trial delayed for Clowney’s father in Rock Hill strip club shooting

The attempted murder trial of David Morgan, father of NFL star Jadeveon Clowney, will not happen next week.

No new trial date has been set, said Jenny Desch, the 16th Circuit assistant solicitor handling the case.

Morgan, whose nickname is “Chilli Bean,” is accused of shooting at two people outside a 2015 Rock Hill strip club. He has rejected a plea deal.

The case was delayed from Monday after Clowney hired a high-profile criminal defense lawyer Todd Rutherford of Columbia, who also is the minority leader of the S.C. House. In July, Morgan rejected a plea deal that would have sent him to prison for 14 to 20 years. Court officials said then that Rutherford had scheduling conflicts for the original trial date.

A convicted felon barred from possessing a gun, Morgan has claimed self-defense in the August 2015 shooting. Police and prosecutors allege that Morgan shot at a manager and the manager’s girlfriend at the Crazy Horse strip club after Morgan had been kicked out for sitting on the stage. Morgan, who has spent 12 years in prison for burglary and other crimes, was shot in the shoulder during the gunfire.

Morgan’s other lawyer, Michael Brown of Rock Hill, has stated in court that only Morgan was injured and that he was defending himself.

Clowney, who plays linebacker and defensive end for the Houston Texans, was a star at Rock Hill’s South Pointe High School and the University of South Carolina before he was the fist pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

He appeared in court on his father’s behalf in April, asking a judge to set a bond for Morgan after he had been in jail for eight months. Morgan, now free on $125,000 bond, faces as many as 75 years in prison if convicted of two counts of attempted murder and three weapons charges.

This story was originally published September 15, 2016 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Trial delayed for Clowney’s father in Rock Hill strip club shooting."