A teen implicated in a murder case was granted a bond reduction Monday, two weeks after he was indicted in the crime, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Alex Powell, 17, has been in jail since the Oct. 14 deadly shooting of Akeem Turner, 21, at the Plantation Trace apartments, according to jail records. Gwinnett County court records indicate he was indicted Jan. 11.
Powell and Turner got into a fight inside Turner’s car when Powell pulled the car keys from the ignition and exited the car, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. At the same time, police say a 16-year-old suspect rushed to the driver’s side, pulled a gun on Turner, tried to rob him of cash and marijuana and fatally shot him.
In court Monday, Superior Court judge Melonie Snell Conner cut Powell’s bond — originally set at $500,000 — in half, Channel 2 reported, a motion that stung the Turner family, who wanted murder charges filed against Powell.
Last year, Powell reached a deal with the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office that allowed him to avoid a murder charge. He faces aggravated assault, armed robbery and criminal attempt to rob charges. His alleged 16-year-old accomplice, who has not been named due to his age, faces murder charges.
Barbara Powell said the reduced bond would help her get her son out of jail with the hope he continues his studies, Channel 2 reported.
“We think it's important for him to use this time waiting for his trial to get his high school diploma,” she said. School officials told Channel 2 the former Duluth High School basketball dropped out in 2016.
Turner’s family said the reduction painted Powell as a victim.
“Do you understand what actually is happening to me and other people, and you just want him back in school and safe?” Turner’s sister, Fatima Turner, said of the Powell family’s pleas. “It seems like I'm in a nightmare.”
