Man convicted of 2021 New Year's Eve murder in Fulton County

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has announced that a jury has found 25-year-old Dequavius Franklin guilty of eleven counts related to a 2021 case. The charges include Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Home Invasion in the First Degree, and Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony. Judge Belinda Edwards will sentence Franklin at a later date.

The case dates back to Dec. 31, 2021, when Atlanta Police Department Zone One Units responded to a call on Bethel Drive NW. They discovered a deceased male inside the residence with multiple gunshot wounds. An eyewitness, a friend of the victim, testified that as she and the victim approached the front door, Franklin and an unknown masked accomplice emerged from the side of the house with guns pointed at them. The eyewitness fled, and the assailants pushed the victim inside.

Ballistic evidence revealed that Franklin and his accomplice shot the victim ten times. The victim, who was armed with a .357 gun, managed to shoot at the intruders twice, hitting Franklin in the abdomen. Surveillance footage later showed Franklin being dropped off at a hospital for treatment of his gunshot wound. During questioning, Franklin claimed he was shot near a Waffle House in East Point, but an investigation by the East Point Police Department found no evidence of a shooting there. DNA evidence collected via a buccal swab matched blood found at the crime scene, placing Franklin at the scene.

The case was prosecuted by the Major Case Unit of the District Attorney's office, including Deputy District Attorney Asia Baysah, Senior Assistant District Attorney John Weitnauer, Senior Investigator Joseph King, Victim Witness Advocate Katrina Gill, and Legal Assistant Brenda Sharpe.

"It is a shame that young lives are turned around and cut short by these senseless acts of violence," said District Attorney Fani T. Willis. "I am keeping Mr. Anderson's loved ones in my prayers, and I hope this conviction brings some sense of justice to them."