Girl, 16, to be tried as adult in Craigslist Playstation slaying
Kayla Dixon, age 16, sat calmly Tuesday afternoon as Fulton County Superior Court Judge Karen Smith Woodson denied her bail and ruled that she will be tried as an adult in the killing of a man over a video gaming system that the victim had advertised for sale on Craigslist.
“The court is not inclined to grant bond,” Woodson said. “She poses a significant set of danger to herself and the community.”
Nathaniel Vivian, 20, who’s also charged in the shooting that killed 28-year-old Daniel John Zeitz, waived his court appearance Tuesday.
Dixon and Vivian thought they had the perfect plan to secure a PlayStation 4 gaming system, a Sandy Springs Police Department detective testified Tuesday.
David Lapides said Dixon and Vivian used their cellphones to coordinate the robbery and their computers to plot how to do it.
“There were numerous text messages between Dixon and Vivian discussing plans to rob someone,” Lapides said.
Police have charged Dixon and Vivian, her boyfriend, with murder in connection with the Sept. 12 incident.
Sandy Springs police spokesman Ron Momon said the pair tried to rob Zeitz of the PS4, and Vivian, who was in the driver's seat of a car, struggled with Zeitz, who was standing outside the car, for the gaming system.
During the struggle, Dixon allegedly fired a shot from a .25 caliber handgun, and the bullet passed through Vivian’s hand and struck Zeitz in the side of his chest, killing him, according to police.
Vivian and Dixon were later arrested when they went to Northside Hospital for treatment of Vivian’s gunshot wound to the hand, Momon said.
“Brookhaven police were at the hospital interviewing the injured man, who told them he was a victim of a crime in Brookhaven, but later told them he was shot while he and his girlfriend were at the Legends of Dunwoody Apartments to rob a man of his PS4 video gaming system that was advertised on Craigslist,” Momon said.
“Detectives also learned that the juvenile’s infant child, approximately 16 months, was in the back seat of the car during the robbery and shooting,” he said.
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
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