Convictions upheld against men who killed popular student
The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the murder convictions against a man and his stepfather for the killing of a popular North Atlanta High School sophomore.
Jammal Howard and his stepfather, Joe Ross, were convicted by a Fulton County jury in March 2008 and sentenced to life terms. In November 2004, Howard, who had had a run-in with some men at the Rachel's Walk Apartments, returned with Ross to the scene to settle the score.
After Howard opened fire with an AK-47 assault rife and Ross began shooting his pistol, 16-year-old Quatavius Bell was struck dead by a stray bullet as he waited to play basketball, authorities said. The court upheld the convictions in a ruling issued Monday.
The court denied appeals by the two men on a number of grounds, including a contention from Ross that the judge should have asked the jury to also consider a charge of voluntary manslaughter because someone at the apartments had allegedly pointed a gun at Howard in the incident before the killing.
But the court noted that the evidence showed that Ross had picked up Howard at least 45 minutes after being called and he clearly knew Howard had not been injured. The shooting also occurred three to four hours after the initial confrontation, the court said. This showed the provocation did not rise to a sudden, violent and irresistible passion that would warrant a voluntary manslaughter option for the jury, the ruling said.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
