Samuel Harris (Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office)
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - A Cobb County judge sentenced Samuel El Harris to life in prison following his guilty plea for the May 2024 murder of Alasia J. Franklin, a 21-year-old nursing student at Kennesaw State University.
What we know:
The sentencing concludes a case that shook the KSU campus and devastated the community of Cairo, Georgia, where both Franklin and Harris were from.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of May 18, 2024, outside the Austin Residence Complex on the KSU campus. Following a dispute, Harris—who was not a student at the university—opened fire on Franklin, his former girlfriend.
Harris, 22, admitted he fired 11 shots at Franklin near the building’s entrance before fleeing the scene in Franklin's car. He was located by police roughly 10 miles away near a Marietta apartment complex. Ballistic testing confirmed that a 9 mm Glock handgun found in Harris's possession was the murder weapon.
Harris pleaded guilty to malice murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm in a school zone and tampering with evidence.
What they're saying:
The Cobb County District Attorney's office honored Franklin’s memory during the sentencing hearing:
"She was a nursing student who aspired to be a nurse practitioner... She tried to see the good in everyone and make them better. Harris, who was not a student, benefited from her love and generous traits, but he ultimately took her away from this world."
The Source: Information in this article came from Cobb County District Attorney Flynn D. Broady Jr.'s office via a release.