Ga. Supreme Court reverses DeKalb murder convictions

By Bill Rankin

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday reversed convictions against two men who had been found guilty of murdering a man who ran a basement recording studio in DeKalb County.

DeKalb prosecutors must decide whether they will retry Steven Manley and Robert Allen for the killing of Emmett "Black" Whatley. At trial, prosecutors said Manley, Allen and another man, Cody Allen-Brown, planned to rob Whatley because he kept cash in his home. Shortly after 2 a.m. on Feb. 9, 2007, Whatley was shot dead in his front yard.

In Monday's opinion, the court reversed Manley's and Allen's murder convictions because their lawyers were not allowed to fully cross-examine a key prosecution witness. Also, the court said a statement Manley gave to police that he was in Whatley's subdivision the night of the murder should have been suppressed because police continued questioning him after he had unambiguously asked for a lawyer to be present.