Two men will spend decades in prison for killing a woman and injuring two children in a 2013 shooting, the Cobb County District Attorney said Wednesday.
A jury convicted Samuel Rickey Blackwell, 34, of Atlanta, and Khalil Kelly, 19, of Austell, on murder, aggravated assault, child cruelty and firearms possession charges for the Sept. 16, 2013 crimes at an Oakhill Drive apartment complex in Austell, DA Vic Reynolds said.
Deirdre Smith, 47, was trying to break up a dispute between Blackwell and Kelly when she was caught in the crossfire, according to police. Smith was killed and two children were injured in the shooting.
During sentencing Wednesday, relatives told the court “Mama D” was a peacemaker and prayer warrior. Her family has established the nonprofit Reconciliation and Peace Project to grant scholarships to young people from violent communities, Reynolds said.
“In that neighborhood, she was the glue,” Judge Stephen Schuster said. “I’m not going to tolerate this behavior in Cobb County. Each defendant had an opportunity to accept responsibility and instead chose to say, ‘It was the other one.’ ”
Blackwell was sentenced to life plus 45 years in prison, and Kelly was sentenced to life plus 65 years in prison.
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