ATLANTA — A Fulton County jury is currently hearing testimony in the trial of Julian Conley, who is accused of killing 8-year-old Secoriea Turner during a protest in 2020.
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The trial, which began on Wednesday, centers around the events of July 4, 2020, when Secoriea Turner was fatally shot while riding in an SUV near Pryor Road.
Prosecutors claim that video evidence will show Conley at the scene, wearing a distinctive red shirt, and firing an AR-15 style rifle during the Rayshard Brooks protests.
“No regard at all for human life. No regard for precious little Secoriea Turner who was only trying to get home,” said Adam Abatte, Chief Deputy District Attorney, during the prosecution’s opening statements.
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Defense attorney Arnold Ragas countered the prosecution’s claims by highlighting that Turner’s mother initially described the shooter as a man dressed in all black.
“She said I saw the person who killed my baby. He was wearing black, black mask, black vest, dressed like y’all with a long gun,” Ragas told the jury.
Prosecutors allege that Conley was involved with a gang at the time of the shooting and that the SUV encountered a makeshift gang blockade during the protest.
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They presented video evidence purportedly showing Conley at the scene, wearing a red shirt with white writing associated with the Bloods gang.
The defense challenged the prosecution’s narrative by questioning the reliability of the video evidence and emphasizing discrepancies in witness descriptions of the shooter.
They argued that the evidence would ultimately prove Conley’s innocence. A MARTA bus driver was called to testify, with bus cameras capturing some of the chaos following the shooting, adding to the evidence presented in court.
The trial is set to continue with further testimonies and evidence as both sides present their cases to the jury.
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