A jury found two men accused of shooting a College Park man eight times not guilty of his murder, officials confirmed.
Fernando Cartavious Bennefield and Marquis Antonio Acree were found not guilty Wednesday in the shooting death of Timothy Carthan. The jury did convict them of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Police said Carthan, 36, was shot at the West Cove Apartments in October 2014. According to witnesses, one of the men shot Carthan once, then seven additional times after he was already down, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
Police searched for Bennefield and Acree for four to five months after the shooting.
Carthan’s family told Channel 2 Action News there was enough evidence to convict the duo, including testimony from four witnesses.
“(One witness) testified that he saw them walk up with the pistol (and fire shots) ... and everybody took off running,” said Erica Jones, Carthan’s sister.
The acquittal was a sore end to a three-year wait in what the family felt should’ve been a conviction.
“I thought we had it,” wife Katrice Grimes said. “I mean, everything was there.”
Clayton County District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson told the news station she was disappointed in the jury’s decision, but appreciates their service.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 16 on the firearms charges.
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