What started as a friendly get-together ended in deadly gunfire for two Chicago men with different fates.
Branden Stone, 31, was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison plus five years for the shooting death of Demetrius Merrill. Stone was given the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, instead of murder, because investigators determined both Merrill and Stone had guns. Only Stone’s weapon had been discharged, according to police.
The two Chicagoans came to Atlanta in early September 2015 to hang out with one of Stone’s cousins. The men were drinking and had taken Xanax at an apartment on Northside Drive before the shooting, Fulton County district attorney spokesman Dontaye Carter said.
It’s unclear what exactly led to the shooting, but Stone told authorities Merrill pointed a gun in his direction, leading him to believe he was going to get shot.
Officials say Stone then shot Merrill multiple times while the victim sat a kitchen table. He had one gunshot wound in his neck, another in his arm and a third in his leg.
Stone told his cousin and police he shot Merrill because he aimed a gun at him.
“Stone told police he believed the (Merrill) was going to shoot him,” Carter said.
But right after speaking with police, authorities say Stone tried to get rid of key evidence to the crime.
Stone took a box of matched from his pocket, threw his clothes away in a trash can and set them on fire inside the interrogation room, Carter said.
Stone’s cousin later disputed the self-defense claim to police.
In other news:
About the Author
