A Gwinnett County teenager killed over his fancy basketball shoes went to the same school as the people accused of robbing and shooting him.
Two teenagers and an adult have been arrested and charged in connection with the December death of Paul Sampleton Jr., police said Friday. All three suspects went to Grayson High School, where Paul was a freshman, according to police.
Paul wasn’t friends with the suspects, but knew them, Cpl. Jake Smith with Gwinnett County police said Friday afternoon. The teen’s mother told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she was thrilled to learn of the arrests, but is still heartbroken over the loss of her only child.
“I’m still somber because my son is gone,” Stephanie Stone, Paul’s mother, said Friday night. “They took a lot from me over material things that can be bought, that can be replaced. My son can’t be replaced.”
Paul, 14, was tied up, shot in the kitchen, and left to die Dec. 19 within minutes of getting off the school bus at the townhouse where he lived with his mother. Paul’s father found the teen shortly after noon on the day, which was the last day of school before the winter break. It was also four days before his mother’s birthday.
Classmates and friends speculated immediately that the popular teenager had been killed over his love of high-priced, hard-to-get basketball shoes, and Gwinnett County police confirmed the motive was robbery.
“The suspects knew that Paul Sampleton traded in high-end sneakers and possessed nice clothing and electronics,” Smith said Friday.
The day Paul was killed, witnesses reported seeing a silver BMW near the Haynescourt Crest townhome, and police traced that car to an address a half-mile away, police said. Several pairs of Paul’s shoes, including the ones he was wearing, were missing from the home the day he was killed, according to search warrants obtained by Channel 2 Action News.
Search warrants executed at the home led police to charge three people in connection with Paul’s death, and additional charges could be pending. The first search warrant was executed two days after Paul’s death, but no one was charged at that time, Smith said. SWAT officers served a second warrant Thursday night and took one of the teens into custody, according to police.
One 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder and another 15-year-old has been charged with armed robbery, according to Smith. A third person, an 18-year-old identified as Romaine Stewart, has also been charged with armed robbery, Smith said.
The two younger suspects are being charged as adults, but are not being identified by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution because of their age.
All three suspects were being held Friday night without bond.
Paul played on the freshman football team for most of the season and played baseball, according to his friends. But he had one hobby that made him stand out from others.
“He did love his shoes,” Abiodun Anifowoshe, 15, previously told The AJC. “The new Jordans and Nikes that came out, Paul was always the first to get them.”
Stone said she has moved from the townhome where her son was killed, but has been in frequent contact with the detectives working the case. The arrests will help with the healing process, she said.
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