BRUNSWICK, Ga. — The mother of a baby shot dead in his stroller took one look at a teenage suspect’s jailhouse mugshot Saturday and said he was definitely the killer. Yet an aunt of the teen said he was eating breakfast with her when the slaying took place.
Despite the conflicting stories, police have charged 17-year-old De’Marquise Elkins with murder, along with a 14-year-old suspect whose name has been withheld because he’s a juvenile.
Brunswick police spokesman Todd Rhodes said even though Elkins’ aunt provided an alibi, authorities have good reason to bring the charges.
As previously reported:
Two teenagers were arrested Friday in the shooting death of a 13-month-old boy who was in his stroller, according to police in this coastal city.
The suspects are a 17-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy, Police Chief Tobe Green told reporters Friday. Both have been charged with first-degree murder, police said.
Green identified the older suspect as De’Marquise Elkins, saying he will be treated as an adult in criminal proceedings. The 14-year-old was not identified because of his age.
“We are turning every stone to get a motive,” said Green.
Police said they acted on a suspect description given by the baby’s mother, Sherry West, who said she was with her son when she became the victim of a robbery attempt.
Officers checked school attendance records to determine who was not in classes Thursday, police spokesman Todd Rhodes said. No other suspects are being sought, he said.
A weapon, believed to be a handgun, has not been found, but police expressed confidence they would find it. Rhodes, who described the shooting as “horrific,” told CNN’s “The Situation Room” on Friday evening that search warrants were being executed in three locations.
Read more here.
Source: CNN
