Deputies indicted in 2018 murder of Fulton County inmate to appear in court
By MARIYA MURROW
Click here for updates on this story
ATLANTA, Georgia (WGCL) — Six deputies indicted for the 2018 murder of a Fulton County inmate are expected to make an appearance in court today.
Antonio May, 32, died on Sept. 11, 2018, after being arrested for criminal trespassing. According to jail staff, a confrontation took place when the 32-year-old became combative and refused to comply with staff. In response to May’s behavior, staff tased and pepper sprayed him. After being decontaminated of the pepper spray, May became unresponsive.
But an attorney for May’s family argues the 32-year-old apparently suffered a mental health crisis, removed his clothes and refused to comply with staff, which prompted officers to tase, beat and illegally restrain him in a chair and spray him in the face with a hose. Autopsy records show May suffered cardiovascular collapse and died shortly after the incident at the Fulton County Jail.
“When someone does something that violates their right constitutional rights human rights they should be held accountable. This is about accountability.,” said Teddy Reese, who is legally representing the May family.
The deputies indicted on charges of murder, aggravated assault, battery and violation of oath of office are Arron Cook, Guito Dela Cruz, Omar Jackson, Jason Roache, Kenesia Strowder and William Whitaker.
In a statement released in early November, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the following about the case:
As I promised the people of Fulton County, my staff and I are working through the backlog of cases left by my predecessor involving use of force by law enforcement officers. We presented the results of our investigation of the 2018 death of Antonio May to a Fulton County Grand Jury today, and the grand jury returned an indictment against three current and three former Sheriff’s Deputies for felony murder, aggravated assault, battery, and violation of oath of office.
It is now the duty of my office to prove these charges beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury at trial. My staff and I will continue to work to ensure that justice is done in this case.
Meanwhile, family members tell CBS46 that for the past three years it felt as though no one was listening. They say they hope Wednesday’s arraignment will be the first step toward healing and achieving justice for Antonio May.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
