Jason Beyer testified about Raleigh Oakwood home invasion that left him paralyzed

RALEIGH

He took jurors through the events of the night of January 13, 2013 when two armed men broke into his home and woke him and his wife. Beyer said the men pointed guns at them and demanded money and valuables.

The robbers separated Beyer and his wife, and Beyer told jurors at some point it became clear to him that the men intended to not only rob them, but sexually assault his wife.

"I started to get very frantic, very concerned," said Beyer.

Beyer's wife was sent upstairs to one of the robbers, and Beyer said he took that opportunity to tackle the other man.

"My focus was on the gun ... to grab that and get the barrel pointed away from me," he said. "I was fighting for my life at that point."

Beyer said the second man came back downstairs and he felt a gun in his back. He testified he doesn't recall hearing the gunshot - or know who shot him - but he recalls his legs giving way.

Beyer said the men left him lying on the kitchen floor while they went and gathered valuables from the home. They then left through a window.

While Beyer struggled with the robbers, his wife was able to run out of the house for help. Neighbors called 911.

"I attempted to stand up a few times and realized I couldn't," said Beyer.

Beyer said he was calling for his wife because he wasn't sure what happened to her.

"I was really scared for where she was. Was she okay?" said Beyer.

After a few minutes, police arrived. It was then that Beyer learned that his wife was alive.

Doctors later told Beyer that the bullet missed his heart by just an inch and that he would be left in a wheelchair because his spine was damaged.

Prosecutors say the robbers were 27-year-old Jahaad Marshall and his brother Shabar - who was 16 at the time. They allege the brothers were behind five similar robberies going back to December 2012.

A neighbor spotted their car leaving the Oakwood neighborhood and they were captured when they crashed the car during a police chase. Police officers have testified that valuables belonging to the Beyer's were found in the car - including Jason's wallet.

The two brothers are being tried separately. Shabar Marshall has already admitted to 15 total charges including first-degree sex offense and attempted murder in the incident at the Beyer's home. He remains charged in the other home invasions.

Jahaad Marshall is charged with one count of first-degree burglary, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count of attempted murder, one count of attempted first-degree rape and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

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