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Reaction to Julian Conley's sentencing in Secoriea Turner's murder
A Fulton County judge on Friday sentenced Julian Conley to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 25 years after a jury found him guilty in the 2020 shooting death of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner.
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - A Fulton County judge on Friday sentenced Julian Conley to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 25 years after a jury found him guilty in the 2020 shooting death of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner.
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FULL: Verdict reached in Secoriea Turner murder
Julian Conley faces 20 charges, including felony murder, malice murder, gang-related offenses and weapons charges.
Julian Conley sentenced
What we know:
The judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 25 years.
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FULL: Julian Conley sentenced in Secoriea Turner murder
After nearly a full day of deliberation, Julian Conley was found guilty on most charges, including the shooting death of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner during the summer of 2020.
The judge reminded the courtroom this case was "brought with conflict and a tragedy," describing a chaotic July 4, 2020, scene near University Avenue where an SUV carrying Turner came upon an armed barricade. The court said Conley and at least one other person fired at the vehicle and emphasized that Turner’s parents are "serving life sentences without their child."
In explaining the sentence, the judge said Conley and others "were there in a massive show of force at an illegal barricade," brandishing weapons and deciding "who could pass and who would be terrorized." The court noted that video showed Conley armed and prepared to fire if a driver tried to proceed, adding, "Your actions demonstrated that day an abandoned and malignant heart, a reckless disregard for human life. You didn't have to know there was a young child in the backseat. You fired on a car that you knew was carrying human beings. And in an area where children are present, it's so fortunate that only one child died that night."
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Father says justice served in Secoriea Turner case
Secoriea Turner’s father, Sir Cory Williamson, said justice was finally served for his 8-year-old daughter after a long and painful trial. Fighting back emotion, he thanked prosecutors and investigators for their work and said the guilty verdict brought some measure of accountability. While forgiving the killer’s mother, he said he could never forgive the man responsible for his child’s death. The family urged support for a scholarship honoring Secoriea’s name.
Secoriea Turner: ‘My baby died’
What they're saying:
Turner’s mother addressed the court during Conley's sentencing hearing, stating, "My baby died" and adding, "How can you sit and tell bald-faced lies?"
Her father said he was grateful for the outcome. "I forgive her, but I don’t forgive him," he said when asked about an apology from Conley’s mother.
Turner’s family and their attorneys said they will continue pursuing civil claims, noting their concerns about police presence around the barricade the night the child was killed.
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Mother thanks DA, civil case ongoing in Turner death
Charmaine Turner, mother of Secoriea Turner, thanked the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office after the guilty verdict, saying justice was served for her daughter. Her attorneys criticized Atlanta officials for abandoning the area where the shooting occurred, leaving families vulnerable. They confirmed the family’s civil lawsuits against the city and Wendy’s remain active, now before the Georgia Court of Appeals.
Conley's mother ‘truly sorry for the loss of Secoriea Turner’
The other side:
Conley’s mother, a former law enforcement instructor, told the court her son was "truly sorry for the loss of Secoriea Turner" and asked for leniency, describing the five years he spent in the Fulton County Jail awaiting trial. A defense representative said Conley "always said" he was sorry for the child’s death while maintaining he did not fire the fatal shot.
Outside the courtroom, Conley's mother said she is starting a nonprofit to fight the inhumane conditions at the Fulton County Jail she says her son has been subjected to for 5 years. She also defended her son, through raw emotion, explaining, "he turned around," and "he’s been in hell."
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Conley’s mother blames city, vows jail support nonprofit
Julian Conley’s mother, Robyn Conley, expressed sorrow to Secoriea Turner’s family while also sharply criticizing the trial and city leadership. Speaking through tears, she blamed Atlanta officials for failing to control unrest in 2020, defended her son’s intentions, and vowed to appeal the verdict. She also announced plans to start a nonprofit supporting families of those held in Fulton County Jail.
Notice of appeal
What's next:
Defense counsel told the judge they would file notice of appeal and a motion for a new trial within 30 days.
Charmaine Turner, the mother of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner, reacts to the guilty verdict for Julian Conely in her death in a Fulton County courtroom on Sept. 26, 2025. (FOX 5)
Murder of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner
The backstory:
The case centers on the July 4, 2020, shooting death of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner near an improvised barricade close to the burned Wendy’s where police had shot Rayshard Brooks weeks earlier. Turner was riding in a Jeep with her mother when gunfire erupted as the driver tried to navigate past the blockage at Pryor Road and University Avenue.
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Jury deliberates in Secoriea Turner murder trial
Jury deliberations continued Friday morning in the murder trial of Julian Conley, accused in the 2020 killing of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner.
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Julian Conley guilty in murder of Secoriea Turner
A Fulton County judge on Friday sentenced Julian Conley to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 25 years after a jury found him guilty in the 2020 shooting death of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner.
Conley was arrested in 2020 after a warrant was issued. He maintained he did not fire the fatal shot. A co-defendant, Jerrion McKinney, later entered an Alford plea to related charges and received a 40-year sentence with 20 to serve, but was not convicted of murder.
The trial for Conley began last week. Jurors reviewed surveillance and video evidence and, after deliberations, found Conley guilty on most counts.
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Uncle calls verdict justice served for Secoriea Turner
Gregory Williamson, uncle of Secoriea Turner, said the guilty verdict lifted a heavy burden from the family, calling it "justice served on a platter." He described Secoriea as a bright child who dreamed of attending Spelman and said her loss took away generations of life. While forgiving Conley’s mother, he said the family could never forgive what was done. He urged Atlanta to never again allow armed groups to control city streets.
Turner’s parents filed a civil lawsuit in 2021 against the City of Atlanta, then-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former interim police leadership and Wendy’s entities, alleging officials allowed dangerous conditions to persist around the protest site. The city’s bid to dismiss key claims was denied, and the case has proceeded on appeal.
The shooting became a flashpoint in Atlanta’s turbulent summer of 2020, highlighting the nexus of protest, public safety and policing following Brooks’ killing and the subsequent occupation of the Wendy’s site.