Fuller guilty of capital murder
Published 8:49 pm Thursday, April 28, 2016
A jury found Deandre Keon Fuller guilty Wednesday in the 2013 murder of Antonio Boykin. Fuller was sentenced to life without parole.
Boykin was killed just inside the doorway of his King Street home and suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
“This is further evidence we are putting away these gunslingers, and we are going to keep putting them away,” said District Attorney Michael Jackson. “Deandre needs to pack his suitcase because he is going away for a long, long time.”
Fuller was out on bond for a 2011 murder when Boykin’s murder took place. In 2011, police arrested Fuller and John C. Brown for allegedly firing shots into 12th Stone, a downtown club that has since been closed. The shooting resulted in the death of Fuller’s sister, Levisha Fuller, and wounded four others.
Fuller was charged with one count of murder and four counts of attempted murder. Jackson said he wasn’t sure when a trial date would be set in that case, if ever given the fact Fuller is serving a life without parole sentence.
His bond for the 2011 charge was originally set at $1 million dollars, according to District Attorney Michael Jackson, but Judge Marvin Wiggins later lowered it to $100,000.
After being released on bond, Fuller was identified as the suspect in an attack that took place two days before the King Street murder. In that incident, police said he allegedly pistol-whipped a victim who had to be hospitalized.
Assistant district attorneys Bryan Jones and Jimmy Thomas prosecuted the King Street murder case. Lawyers Joseph Fitzpatrick, Bruce Boynton and Danny Crenshaw are representing Fuller. Fitzpatrick said they were disappointing in the verdict and believe the real culprit is still out there.
“Our heart goes out to the family of Antonio Boykin for their tragic loss,” Fitzpatrick said. “However we feel the person who is truly responsible for causing that loss has not been brought to justice.”
Fitzgerald said the attorneys are still trying to determine their next move. Boynton and Crenshaw could not be reached for comment on Thursday.