Dying man identified killer
"Chris shot me."
Those words from a dying man helped identify the killer, who will now spend his life in prison.
Christopher Phillips, 24, was convicted of murder and other charges and sentenced to life plus 10 years in prison, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said Friday.
Phillips shot Demario Bateman, 25, in the stomach during a party in a Lanier Street apartment in Atlanta in February 2007, Howard said. Bateman was able to give police the first name of his assailant before he was taken to the hospital where he died.
Witnesses who were at the party told police that Phillips seemed to be upset about the theft of his "weed," Howard said.
"He then walked into the kitchen where the victim was sitting, shot him in the stomach and fled the scene," Howard said. Phillips was arrested several weeks later after witnesses identified him.
About the Author
Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.
