A Griffin man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Wednesday for a murder he committed two years ago as a 16-year-old, officials said.
Malik Yarbrough, now 18, had been convicted March 9 of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The Spalding County jury deliberated for only 25 minutes before delivering the verdict, the Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Yarbrough was taken into custody following the fatal shooting of Robert Donnell Brown on July 14, 2020. Brown, 46, was shot in the back three times after an argument in the front yard of a home on Melrose Avenue in Griffin, police said at the time.
Yarbrough, who prosecutors said had a significant criminal history, was charged as an adult.
He claimed self-defense in the shooting, but the jury rejected that argument and judge Scott L. Ballard determined he was “permanently incorrigible” due to a “lack of remorse for the crime.”
“This defendant has lived a significant life of crime already,” DA Marie Broder said in the release. “If he gets out of prison, I believe he will kill someone else.”
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