Family Wants Second Autopsy for Real Housewife Kandi Burruss' Slain Fiancé

A.J. Jewell's family says he didn't have sickle-cell anemia, which investigators have said contributed to his death from injuries he sustained in a fight

By Natalie Finn, Lindsay Miller Nov 23, 2009 11:57 PMTags
Kandi Burruss, Ashley JewellPrince Williams/Getty Images

To get at the truth, the family of Kandi Burruss's late fiancé is looking to raise the dead.

A.J. Jewell did not have sickle-cell anemia, according to a spokesman for Jewell's relatives, who have requested that a second autopsy be performed by a private coroner to clear up any inconsistencies surrounding his death last month from a head injury sustained in a fight outside an Atlanta strip club.

Results are expected in about two weeks. The Real Housewives of Atlanta fixture was laid to rest over a month ago.

The Fulton County medical examiner ruled Jewell's death a homicide, and the other guy in the fight, Frederick Richardson, has been charged with voluntary manslaughter.

But Jewell's family disagrees with the finding that sickle-cell anemia aggravated his injuries.

"The decision of course was a difficult one for the family, because any time you consider exhuming a loved one, it's always a difficult decision," family spokesman Rev. Mark Hutchins tells E! News. "In this case, the family has not been satisfied with the outcome of the first autopsy. While [the medical examiners] seem to be blaming a sickle-cell crisis for A.J.'s death, he had traits of sickle cell but he did not have sickle-cell disease.

"It is an extremely rare occurrence that someone would have a sickle-cell crisis if they did not have sickle-cell disease."

Richardson's attorney tells E! that the coroner's report was accurate and well-researched.

"I think the charges ought to be dismissed," attorney Dennis Scheib says. "It's one thing if my client would have started the fight with somebody. You get your victims as they are. So, if [you] start a fight and he dies, it's on you. But in this case, A.J. caused the fight."

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