Court upholds murder conviction against Clarkston man

The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction against a Clarkston man who shot and killed a man at an apartment complex on North Hairston Road.

George Smiley is serving a life sentence for the Sept. 1, 2006, killing of 21-year-old Samuel Williams of Stone Mountain. Authorities said Smiley shot Williams in the head after he was told that Williams had smashed out the windows of a GMC Jimmy SUV owned by Smiley's mother. The state Supreme Court upheld the murder conviction, obtained by DeKalb County prosecutors during an October 2007 trial, in a decision issued Monday.

About the Author

Bill Rankin

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.

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