The four men accused of stomping a man to death at a Douglasville party early Sunday say they did not kill Bobby Tillman.
Police have charged four men with murder: Quantez Devonta Mallory, 18, Horace Damon Coleman, 19, Emmanuel Benjamin Boykins, 18, and Tracen Lamar Franklin, 19.
In an interview with Channel 2 Action News at the Douglas County Jail Tuesday, they said they were innocent.
Only Mallory would not speak on camera, but like the others, he said he was innocent.
Boykins said he tried to intervene when a friend of his punched 18-year-old Tillman.
"While I was trying to pull my friend off of him, more people came and jumped him," Boykins told Channel 2.
Franklin admitted striking someone in the melee, but said he was only trying to help Tillman. He told Channel 2 that he participated in the scrum and "there's a possibility that I might have struck Bobby, or kneed him."
Douglas County Sheriff Phil Miller told the TV news outlet that investigators had statements to disprove some of what the men had said in their TV interviews.
Witnesses said Boykins attacked the smaller Tillman after being hit by a girl during an unrelated fight and declaring he would hit the next guy he saw and didn't know, rather than strike the girl. Coleman, Mallory and Franklin joined in, punching, kicking and stomping the 124-pound Tillman, authorities said.
The men interviewed by Channel 2 said the attack occurred after a brawl involving 20 females.
Boykins said Tillman did not instigate the attack. Tillman was "very innocent, standing off to the side, minding his own business," Boykins said.
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