Fulton County jury convicts Julian Conley in 2020 shooting death of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in Atlanta
A Fulton County jury convicted Julian Conley on Friday in the shooting death of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner, who was killed during protests in Atlanta in 2020. Shortly after the verdict was read, the judge sentenced Conley to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Jurors found Conley guilty on multiple charges, including murder, aggravated assault, and several gun and gang-related counts. He was acquitted on some charges.
Turner was killed on July 4, 2020, as she rode in the back of an SUV near the Wendy's in southwest Atlanta, where Rayshard Brooks had been shot and killed by police weeks earlier. The shooting happened after the vehicle came upon a makeshift barricade set up near the site of ongoing demonstrations.
Prosecutors said Conley fired the shot that struck and killed the child.
Conley faced 19 counts in total. Jurors convicted him on counts 1 through 8, as well as counts 13, 14, 15, and 17. He was found not guilty on counts 9, 10, 11, 12, 18, and 19 — including three separate gang-related counts that alleged he fired the weapon to gain status in a gang, held a leadership role in gang activity, or coerced others to join.
The case has drawn widespread attention in Atlanta, where Turner's death became a flashpoint amid nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Another man, Jerrion McKinney, pleaded guilty earlier this month to aggravated assault, gun, and gang-related charges in Turner's death. He was sentenced to 40 years, with 20 years to serve in prison.