Man Convicted of Murdering Atlanta Father in Broad Daylight

From the Fulton County District Attorney:

ATLANTA, GA - Fulton County District Attorney Paul L. Howard, Jr. announces the conviction by jury trial of an Atlanta man. Jurors returned guilty verdicts against 26-year-old Demiko Jones upon charges of Felony Murder, Possession of a Firearm during Commission of a Crime, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and related charges.

On October 23, 2015, Atlanta police responded to the corner of Welch Street and Mary Street in Southwest Atlanta to discover the body of 25-year-old Rodney Stafford. Stafford had been shot three times. Surveillance cameras in the area captured the victim, Stafford, walking near the intersection when he was shot and killed by an unknown gunman. A witness gave police a key piece of evidence when she provided investigators with a vehicle description and a partial tag number. Detectives were able to connect that vehicle to Jones.

As the investigation progressed, detectives were able to also link 28-year-old Todd Richardson to the crime through a series of text messages they obtained. Police later took Jones into custody and interviewed the defendant about the murder. Jones admitted he drove Richardson to a destination near the crime scene but denied that he knew anything about the murder. However, detectives soon learned the victim, Stafford, was a drug dealer that posed a threat to Jones’ drug operation. Richardson confessed that Jones hired him to rob or kill Stafford.

Following the conviction of Jones, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kelly Lee Ellerbe sentenced Jones to life without parole plus 10 years. Richardson will be sentenced at a later date. Fulton County Assistant District Attorney Simone Hylton and Community Prosecutor Kimberly Myers prosecuted the case. Fulton County Investigator Tiffany Griffin assisted in the case. Detective Kevin Leonpacher from the Atlanta Police Department led the initial investigation.

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