ATLANTA — A Fulton County Judge has denied a motion to sever the cases for two suspects accused of shooting and killing 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in the summer of 2020 on Friday afternoon.
Julian Conley and Jerrion McKinney, two alleged Blood gang members indicted in Turner’s tragic shooting death, appeared in a Fulton County courtroom for an evidentiary hearing.
Turner was shot on July 4 when police said a group of people blocked the roadway and fired shots into the car she was riding in with her mother. The incident happened nearby the Wendy's in which Rayshard Brooks was killed by an Atlanta Police officer. Bullets hit the car multiple times, striking the little girl. Authorities said the driver immediately headed to the hospital, but Turner later died. Indictment documents allege Conley fired the gun into the car while barricading the road as part of the Blood gang.
Photos: Secoriea Turner
Secoriey Williamson, the late 8-year-old's father and namesake, said he and the family heard new evidence inside the courtroom Friday, in which the prosecution further explored the defendants' criminal histories to try and prove their gang affiliations.
"It was a surprise for somebody to have a record like that and then still be on the street with no probation and no nothing, for them being able to commit the crime that they did," Williamson said. "They shouldn’t have even been on the street."
Right now, Conley and McKinney's cases are being tried together, and it will remain that way. The judge denied a motion brought fourth by the defense to sever their cases, and have Conley and McKinney tried separately.
"They can’t say they don’t know each other because they’ve got cameras of them talking before it even happened," Williamson added, speaking of his daughter's killing.
Williamson explained he and Turner's family feel it's a positive move.
"That’s good news. I think they should be tried together because we have some information that I don’t think we could talk about, that they do know each other," he continued.
Williamson said he and several of Secoriea’s family members come to all the hearings in connection to the case of the 8-year-old’s death. He said it’s important for the family to be there together as a unit.
"For my daughter, for her daughter, her granddaughter, her uncle it’s important because we just want justice," he said. "Keep the focus on Secoriea and we just want to keep her name alive."