Man faces life sentence for shooting distant relative when he was 16
An East Point teen was found guilty Friday on charges of murdering a distant relative.
Mahdi Thomas was shot and killed in Sept. 2007 following a dispute with Calvin Wiggins, then 16, over a drug deal. The two had robbed a drug dealer of several pounds of marijuana and cash and had agreed to split the proceeds, a Fulton County District Attorney's office spokeswoman said.
Wiggins felt shortchanged and pulled a gun on Thomas, who survived for four days after the shooting. During that time he identified the 16-year-old as his assailant, the spokeswoman said.
Wiggins was convicted of two murder charges, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. A mandatory minimum life-sentence awaits, the Fulton DA said. Wiggins learns his fate Sept 28.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
