Hampton Man Gets LIfe Sentence In 2021 Fatal Shooting
JONESBORO — The Clayton County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that a Henry County man will be spending the rest of his life in prison in connection with a January 2021 fatal shooting at a Jonesboro motel.
Julius Cerron Priest, 43, of Hampton, was recently sentenced to life with the possibility of parole while LaTonya Diane Moore, 45, of Atlanta, was sentenced to 30 years and will serve 25 years in custody.
The Clayton County District Attorney’s Office said the defendants pleaded guilty during their specially set trial on Oct. 21.
“These convictions reflect our ongoing commitment to seeking justice for victims and ensuring the safety our our community,” Clayton County DA Tasha Mosley said in a Thursday press release. “We remain dedicated to upholding the law and holding those who commit violent crimes accountable.”
Acccording to the DA’s Office, on Jan. 31, 2021, the victim, Mark Frazier, was rushed to Southern Regional Medical Center by his brother and other witnesses after he sustained gunshot wounds to his left leg.
The DA’s Office said that Moore shot Frazier under the direction of Priest following an altercation between Frazier and Priest at the Woods Motel, 7828 N. Main St., Jonesboro.
Frazier was eventually transported to Grady Hospital in Atlanta where he had an emergency surgery as he suffered an apparent brain injury because of the severe blood loss and cardiac arrest, the DA’s Office press release stated.
Frazier died after 11 months of palliative care as a result of the injuries.
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The Clayton County District Attorney’s Office also announced Wednesday, Oct. 23, the recent guilty pleas of three defendants in connection to a 2022 fatal shooting.
In that case, LaKeith Boswell received a life sentence with the possibility of parole. Jiquez Alexander and Keiwania Alexander both received 45 year sentences to serve 30 in prison.
According to a DA’s Office press release, on the night of April 30, 2022, the defendants were walking around the Clayton Village Mobile Home Park, 6347 Tara Blvd., Jonesboro.
Residents saw them trying to pull on handles and enter any car or home that were unlocked.
The defendants made it to the end of a street where they encountered two victims who were hanging out on their front porch.
The DA’s Office said the defendants held the victims at gunpoint and demanded their belongings.
One of the victims, Sonia Villegas-Cervantes, grabbed a small glass bottle from the ground to defend herself, the DA’s Office said, and the defendants started shooting at her several times.
The DA’s Office said Villegas-Cervantes died before EMS arrived at the scene. The second victim was shot in the leg but was able to recover.
