COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — A murder trial began Monday morning in Muscogee County, where the co-defendants are also facing criminal street gang charges.
Marquise Hawkins and Kendaryl Rogers are facing life in prison without parole if convicted in the August 2020 shooting death of Alex Bales-Davis.
Prosecutors indicted the co-defendants two years ago. This is a case that the Georgia Attorney General's Office is prosecuting – not the local District Attorney.
And criminal street gang charges are at the center of this case.
It's taken five years for Hawkins and Rogers to see the inside of a courtroom.
The prosecutors contend these two men were members of the Rollin' 60's Neighborhood Crips. And in the indictment they claimed that the murder of Alex Bales-Davis was a retaliatory gang hit.
Previous court testimony indicated that there was a fight between the men three weeks before police say Rogers shot the victim using a rifle. The shooting happened Aug. 6, 2020, at Brennan Road and St. Mary's Road.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys declined to comment on the case. Criminal defense attorney Anthony Johnson is not involved in this case but is familiar with the work of the Attorney General's Gang Prosecution Unit.
"We are definitely seeing Gov. Kemp and the Attorney General make an investment in the prosecution of gangs. It's going to grow, right?" asked Johnson.
This is the third time the state has prosecuted a gang-murder case in Columbus. The previous two, both of which involved murders at Wilson Apartments, resulted in convictions.
"One of the reasons why you have the AG's office is that you have bigger resources. The GBI becomes readily available. You can use the sheriff's office. You can use the Columbus Police Department. You can even use some FBI resources. It makes it much, much harder to defend. And in my opinion, a little easier to prosecute," Johnson said.
The state law was changed to make it easier to allow prior bad acts by the defendants to be introduced into evidence.
"It says because they got in a fight that was gang activity to increase their status. And now this incident, whether it be an armed robbery or murder or even the sale of marijuana or any drugs, is now part of the gang activity, as well," Johnson said.
Jury selection began on Monday, while attorneys and Judge Tippi Burch have set two weeks to try this case.
Mark Shelnutt and William Kendrick are defending Rogers. Chuck Douglas and Keyanna Marshall are representing Hawkins.
If convicted of the criminal street gang charges, the two men could face a consecutive sentence of five to 20 years on top of any other convictions.
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