Zaevion Dobson homicide suspect appointed new lawyer

One of two men charged in the December 2015 shooting death of Fulton High School sophomore Zaevion Dobson has been appointed a new lawyer.

Knox County Criminal Judge Steve Sword granted Richard Gregory Williams' request for a different attorney during a status hearing Thursday, appointing Knoxville defense attorney Kit Rodgers to the case.

Williams, 22, offered no explanation for his request to have court-appointed attorney Aubrey Davis replaced.

Sword approved the motion, saying it was better to make the switch now in the interest of keeping the case on track for trial, which is set to begin July 10.

"If you want another lawyer later on, you're going to have to pay for it yourself," Sword told Williams.

Williams and co-defendant Christopher Drone Bassett Jr., 21, are due to return for another status hearing Feb. 24.

A Knox County grand jury returned a 27-count indictment against Williams and Bassett in August, including charges of first-degree murder, eight counts of attempted first-degree murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.

Dobson, a promising football player at Fulton, was killed Dec. 17, 2015, as he shielded two girls from a barrage of gunfire in the Lonsdale community. The shooting was one of four gang-related attacks beginning that day and extending into the early hours Dec. 18 that Knoxville police have said are connected.

Police said Dobson, 15, and his friends had no gang ties and apparently were targeted by mistake in an attempt at retaliation.

Rodgers also will represent Williams in a separate case involving two counts of attempted first-degree murder in the April 2, 2016, shooting of 19-year-old Larry North. North was walking hand-in-hand with a 2-year-old boy when Williams allegedly opened fire on the pair. North was shot eight times but survived.

North is listed in court records as a witness in the Dobson case, although prosecutors have yet to explain the connection.

Davis previously said Williams is accused of shooting at North in an attempt to "silence him."