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Trial begins for man accused in death of 8-year-old
The trial of Julian Conley, accused in Secoriea Turner’s death, began with jury selection on Monday. Turner, 8, was fatally shot near a protest site in southwest Atlanta in 2020. Turner's mother was in the courtroom Monday. Co-defendant Jerrion McKinney took an Alford plea and received 40 years.
ATLANTA - The trial of a second man charged in the shooting death of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner began with jury selection Monday at the Fulton County Courthouse.
Julian Jamal Conley and Jerrion Amari McKinney (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
What we know:
Turner was killed on July 4, 2020, while sitting in the back seat of her mother’s Jeep near a Wendy’s in southwest Atlanta.
The fast-food restaurant had become the site of weeks of protests following the police killing of Rayshard Brooks, which included demonstrators setting the building on fire and armed groups blocking nearby roads.
Prosecutors say Turner’s mother encountered one of those armed groups when she attempted to drive through the area. That’s when, investigators allege, Julian Conley opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle, striking Turner in the head. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Conley was indicted in 2021 on multiple charges, including two counts of felony murder, malice murder and gang-related offenses. His trial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
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What's next:
Jury selection is expected to wrap up on Tuesday. The trial is then expected to take about two weeks.
Dig deeper:
Last week, another man charged in the case, Jerrion McKinney, entered an Alford plea — a form of guilty plea in which a defendant maintains innocence while acknowledging prosecutors have enough evidence to secure a conviction. McKinney was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
RELATED: Jerrion McKinney accepts Alford plea in Secoriea Turner case
Turner’s death, which came amid nationwide unrest over police shootings, drew widespread outrage and renewed calls for accountability. Conley’s trial is expected to draw close attention as prosecutors lay out their case against the man accused of firing the fatal shot.