A mother and son from Riverdale were sentenced to life in prison Friday in the fatal shooting of a man in a Spalding County motel room in 2020, officials said.
Joshua Ray Fuller, 30, was convicted of felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Sonya Raylene Fuller, 45, was convicted of felony murder, aggravated assault and hindering the apprehension of a criminal.
Neither were granted the possibility of parole, Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Marie Broder said.
On Aug. 31, 2020, Sonya Fuller called her son to her room at the Quality Inn and Suites on North Expressway, where 52-year-old Anthony Maurice Reid was also inside. At some point, Joshua Fuller pointed a gun at Reid and fatally shot him, according to Broder.
Broder said the two, along with others, hid evidence and lied to police.
Spalding County deputies responded to the shooting at about 3:30 a.m. and found Reid lying on the floor with two gunshot wounds, the sheriff’s office said at the time. The Griffin man died shortly after the ambulance left the motel.
“From the look of the crime scene and the evidence we gathered, it appears that when he was surprised and attacked by (Joshua) Fuller, Mr. Reid had no other choice, did all he could do and fought for his life in order to defend himself before being shot,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Credit: Burden's Funeral Home
Credit: Burden's Funeral Home
Joshua Fuller was identified as a suspect after the Spalding County SWAT team searched multiple rooms, including the one where the shooting occurred. He was found hiding in a nearby room, authorities said. The gun believed to have been used was also recovered.
Authorities did not say what prompted the shooting or if the suspects knew the victim.
Joshua Fuller’s younger sister, Kristen Elaine Fuller, who lived at the motel at the time of the shooting, was also arrested, authorities said. She was charged with tampering with evidence and hindering the apprehension of a fugitive.
Deputies also arrested 49-year-old Troy Edgar on three counts of murder, armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and hindering the apprehension of a criminal, online records show.
Kristen Fuller’s and Edgar’s charges are still pending, according to Broder. A trial date has not been set.
Joshua Fuller had gotten out of prison in June 2018 after serving time at the Metro Reentry Facility since May 2016 on charges of family violence, false imprisonment and aggravated assault in Fulton County, according to online records.
Sonya Fuller has been in and out of prison since late 2007, records show. Most recently, she was released in January 2019 after serving time at the Whitworth Women’s Facility since March 2018 for first-degree criminal damage in DeKalb County. She has also served time for charges including financial identity fraud, first-degree forgery and theft.
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