A Stone Mountain man was convicted last week of shooting and killing his cousin at a DeKalb County apartment complex in 2020, prosecutors said.
Michael Blair Stewart Jr., 35, was convicted Thursday of felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in the shooting of 30-year-old Jireh Morris. Stewart was sentenced to life in prison plus five years, according to the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office.
Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
On the night of Dec. 5, 2020, Morris called 911 shortly after 8 p.m. to report that he had been shot, the DA’s office said.
“My cousin just shot me,” Morris told the 911 operator.
The DA’s office said Morris identified Stewart as his cousin and the shooter at least seven times during the 17-minute call.
Police found Morris bleeding in the driver’s seat of his car after crashing into other vehicles in the parking lot while trying to get away. A DeKalb police officer asked Morris who had shot him and he confirmed it was Stewart, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
Morris was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from three gunshot wounds.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Morris had made plans to meet up with Stewart at the Artesian Village apartments off Bouldercrest Road to work on some songs together. Morris and Stewart had become estranged at one point but had reconnected over their shared passion for music.
“My son cannot come back,” Morris’ mother, Janet Morris, said after the killing. “I can’t touch him. I can’t talk to him. His body is over there in the ground at Hillandale Memorial Gardens.”
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
The two had often shared a bedroom growing up and gone on family vacations together, even playing baseball at Redan Park. It took months for authorities to find Stewart, who was arrested Feb. 10, 2021.
Janet Morris said she would see Stewart’s Facebook account light up from time to time while he was on the run, the green light in the Messenger app giving away his (or someone else’s) digital presence. She sent the account a message that included a picture of her son in his casket but got no response.
“I know what Michael did,” she said. “But I don’t know why.”
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