A man who has been jailed in DeKalb County nearly three years while awaiting trial in a case involving the shooting death of a pregnant woman will be charged with murder in an unrelated case in Marietta.
DeQuonist Marquez Lucas, 26, has been identified by Marietta police as a suspect in the July 2008 killing of Samuel "Dra" Steward. Steward was a 16-year-old rapper in a group called Small Change when he was shot in the head during a robbery at the corner of Allgood Road and Avery Street in Marietta.
Samuel's mother, Cordelia Gober, told the AJC soon after the killing that she hoped someone would come forward to identify who did it: "You just shot my son. There’s no way you can hold that in. You gotta talk to somebody," she said. "And if they are talking to somebody, that means they are holding it, too."
The Marietta Police Department announced Wednesday that a tip in late March led them to a witness of the shooting. Now, authorities said, they are charging Lucas with felony murder in connection with Samuel's death. They said they are still looking for a second unidentified suspect, and they released a sketch of him.
Lucas is in jail in DeKalb, awaiting trial in the October 2008 murder of Quishanna Loynes.
The 29-year-old mother of three girls was brushing the hair of one of them in their ground floor apartment in DeKalb when a bullet crashed through the window, striking her in the back. She was 10 weeks pregnant.
DeKalb police arrested Lucas and Eric Lamar Ferrell, charging both with felony murder. Police said the pair were involved in the shooting after an argument outside the apartment.
Anyone with any information on the Steward case should contact Marietta Police Det. Lindsey at 770-794-5369 or the tip line at 770-794-6990.
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