A Clayton County man who was involved in a fatal shootout at an apartment complex in 2020 received a life sentence Friday after he was convicted of murder earlier this week, court records show.
Llewellyn Edinborough, 56, of Forest Park, was found guilty by a Clayton jury Wednesday on two counts of murder, one of aggravated assault and multiple gun charges, county District Attorney Tasha M. Mosley said. Edinborough was handed a life sentence plus 15 years at his sentencing Friday.
According to Mosley, the victim was an accomplice of Edinborough’s who was fatally wounded during a shootout in the early morning hours of Nov. 26, 2020. Clarence Houseworth, who lived at the same apartment complex as Edinborough, died after he was shot in the leg.
The incident began when Edinborough, Houseworth and another man named Eric Eugene Smith arrived at their apartment complex on Ga. 85 in Forest Park a little after midnight, Mosley said. The three men confronted another man in the parking lot who was there looking for a friend’s apartment.
“They approached, surrounded and threatened to kill the victim,” Mosley said.
The victim was able to get to his truck but was chased by Edinborough, Houseworth and their other accomplice, according to the DA. The man being pursued ultimately pulled a gun and shot at the three men in self-defense, Mosley said. Edinborough and Houseworth returned fire, and Houseworth was wounded.
“The entire incident was captured on surveillance video which clearly showed that Edinborough and his friends were the aggressors in the incident, and their armed attack on the victim caused the shootout that resulted in Houseworth’s death,” Mosley said.
At the time, Edinborough was already a felon and was not legally allowed to possess a gun.
Edinborough was booked into the Clayton jail in December 2021, a little more than a year after the shootout, and has remained there since. His case went to trial Feb. 19 and ended with a guilty verdict four days later.
Smith, Edinborough’s co-defendant, entered a negotiated guilty plea earlier this month, according to court records. Smith pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced as a first offender to 12 years in prison followed by eight on probation.
About the Author
