5 face murder charges in DeKalb jail attack as victim’s family seeks answers

Five DeKalb County inmates are now facing murder charges after investigators say they attacked and killed another inmate in a cell last month.

David Addo-Wright, 24, was found “unresponsive in a cell with several wounds” on Sept. 23, the GBI said in a news release.

Jayden King, 22, Treonte Brintley, 24, Amir Andrews, 19, Dajuhn Bryant, 20, and Messiah Hinson, 28, were each charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and items prohibited for possession by inmates, the GBI says and jail records show.

King is represented by the DeKalb Public Defender’s Office, which declined to comment. Attorneys for Hinson and Bryant also declined to comment, and attorneys for Andrews and Brintley did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

GBI investigators determined the five inmates attacked him in one of the cells, resulting in his death, the agency said.

An autopsy found the cause of Addo-Wright’s death was “sharp force injury of chest” and ruled the death a homicide, the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office said.

He had been arrested by the Chamblee Police Department and was facing battery and firearms charges, jail records show. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has requested the incident report from Chamblee police.

Addo-Wright was booked into jail at 10:22 p.m. the day before on several battery and weapons charges. DeKalb County Jail records list him as released on Sept. 23 as of 9:10 p.m. and say bond had been posted.

Investigators have not said what time the attack took place, whether the five inmates had access to Addo-Wright in the cell or how quickly jail staff responded to the scene. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to specific questions and deferred to the GBI.

Addo-Wright’s family hired the Davis Bozeman law firm, which held a news conference earlier this month raising concerns about jail security and staff response. Nearly 20 friends and family members attended to commemorate Addo-Wright’s memory, many wearing T-shirts bearing his image.

His father, Darrin Wright, said at the news conference he doesn’t understand how his son could be killed while at the jail for such a short time.

“It is incomprehensible for my son to give me a call on Tuesday of last week and say, ‘Dad, I messed up. I got into a fight. I got arrested,’” Wright said. “And then on Thursday morning at 3 a.m., the GBI is at my front door with the Newton County Sheriff’s Department to tell me that my son is dead.”

Attorneys say they believe Addo-Wright’s calls for help went unanswered and staff took too long to render aid. They say broken locks at the jail may have allowed the inmates improper access.