The lead investigator testified Monday in the trial of two accused of shooting and killing a man walking home from a night out with friends.
Brandon Williams and Demetrice Ross are accused of fatally shooting Thomas Arnold, 60, the night of Feb. 25, 2022. Two joggers on the Beltline discovered the victim the morning after.
“I walked up, and I did notice Mr. Arnold’s body lying on the ground. He had his hand in his pocket. There was a shell casing on the ground. What was interesting was Mr. Arnold still had his watch on, had his phone with him, his wallet with his credit cards,” said Atlanta police Sgt. Michele Parent said.
Parent told the jury the victim had been shot in the head.
RELATED STORIES:
Prosecutors showed jurors video of the victim hanging out with friends in a bar restaurant prior to the shooting.
Other video clips showed him walking toward the Beltline. That video also captured the sound of gunfire.
Another video showed three men breaking into a car near where the victim was shot.
After police first released the video following the shooting, in hopes that someone could identify the suspects, a tipster stopped a Hapeville police officer, saying one of the suspects had contacted him.
Parent said she spoke to the tipsters as well.
“One of the individuals was saying, ‘This is me. I’m on the news. I need to get out of town, can you help me?’ He told me that he was told by Brandon Williams that Brandon Williams stated he was involved in the murder. They were in the area looking to steal cars because he knew of a chop shop where they could flip them real quick and make some money,” Parent said.
Defense attorneys cross-examined several GBI investigators, noting that there was no weapon or forensic evidence tying the defendants to the murder.