After a 16-year-old shot and killed two men in Walton County and stole their dirt bike, the next thing he did was ride it around and show off to his friends.
It would be his last action as a free man.
Kinterie Kiatis Durden, who is now 19, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the double malice murder. During his court appearance, which was done over Zoom, he appeared content.
“It’s all good,” he said, during his last address to Judge Samuel D. Ozburn before his sentencing.
In May 2017, Durden told the two victims that he was interested in buying the Yamaha dirt bike they posted for sale on Facebook. The sellers, 30-year-old Davoddren Harris and 26-year-old Cortez White, both of Meriwether County, drove to Durden’s home in Social Circle to finalize the deal.
Credit: Walton County District Attorney's Office
Credit: Walton County District Attorney's Office
The two men let Durden get into the back of their Toyota Tacoma, which was carrying the dirt bike, and began driving along Glegg Farm Road, according to prosecutors.
Without warning, Durden shot Harris, who was driving, twice in the back of the head. He then turned the gun toward White, who was shot three times in the head and once in his back.
The pickup truck, which was moving slowly at the time, flipped over and landed right-side up. Durden then crawled out of the vehicle and rode away on the dirt bike, leaving the two men to die.
After showing the bike off to his friends — and lying about purchasing it — he hid it in some nearby woods. He was arrested the next day.
At his trial, Durden testified that the double shooting was in self-defense. However, the judge said that was the seventh time his story changed.
“What bothers me about this case was when he was first interviewed, he denied even being there,” Ozburn said Wednesday before the sentencing. “He admitted in cross-examination that he had told at least six different tales, with another different one at trial.”
Former District Attorney Layla Zon said Durden texted his girlfriend minutes after the murder, bragging about the bike. She said he’s never shown any remorse.
“There was no sudden impulsion in this crime,” Zon said. “This was a premeditated crime, cold and calculated.”
In November 2019, Durden was convicted on all counts, including two counts of malice murder, felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault and other firearm-related charges.
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Since then, he’s had several issues while in custody in the Walton County jail, including a complaint that he made sexual statements and performed lewd acts in front of a corrections officer, the judge said. The officer testified about the incidents during the sentencing hearing.
Just before was announcing his sentence, Obsurn listed Durden’s lengthy juvenile record. It included breaking a student’s jaw once, stealing a firearm on multiple occasions and stealing motor vehicles.
“This is a very troubled young man, and I am deeply concerned with him as an individual,” he said. “I’m finding that he is irreparably corrupt.”
To close out the hearing, Durden’s attorney filed a motion to appeal the verdict and sentence.
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