Shaneku McCurty’s life ended at 25.
The three teenagers accused of killing her at a DeKalb County gas station are now staring down the possibility of spending the rest of theirs in prison.
Brothers Demonte and Jermaine Grant — ages 15 and 16, respectively — and 16-year-old Cameron Williams were all indicted Tuesday on a single count of malice murder, as well as two counts apiece of felony murder and aggravated assault. Authorities believe Williams pulled the trigger during the Oct. 23 robbery that left McCurty dead outside the Chevron Food Mart at Redan Road and South Indian Creek Drive.
The indictment means all three teens are being charged as adults — and, if convicted, will face the life sentences their alleged offenses carry.
“Our office takes no pleasure in indicting juveniles, or children, as adults,” DeKalb District Attorney Robert James said in a Tuesday afternoon press conference. “These are very serious crimes that these young men have been charged with. But these senseless acts of violence, this tragic loss of life, begs for a response.”
According to information previously released by police, McCurty was on her way home from work when, around 1 a.m., she stopped at the gas station. Williams and the Grant brothers confronted her in an attempted robbery.
She resisted and was shot three times.
The Grant brothers turned themselves in late the same night, and Williams turned himself in early the next day.
James declined Tuesday to talk about specifics of the case. He did explain that Demonte and Jermaine Grant are being charged under Georgia’s party to the crime statute — meaning that, even though authorities believe Williams pulled the trigger, they’re held just as responsible for the outcome.
Calling McCurty’s death “a senseless act of violence” that “begs a lot of questions,” James said violent crimes committed by juveniles are on the rise in DeKalb County, at least anecdotally. The district attorney added, however, that prosecuting McCurty’s alleged assailants as adults is not about sending a message.
“You have a case that’s just terribly tragic, and I don’t know that there’s any message to be sent,” James said. “You just have to get into the middle of it and extract as much justice out of it as possible. … We’re just trying to make the best out of a terrible, terrible situation.”
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