A Decatur man has been convicted of killing an East Atlanta Village resident who walked in on him as he was burglarizing the victim's home.
On Tuesday, a judge sentenced Jeffries Scott Anderson to life plus 30 years for the murder of Jonathan Alexander Newton, DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Yvette Jones said in a news release.
Anderson was 36 at the time of the October 2016 murder.
Newton, 30, and a co-worker who lived in the apartment complex had returned home for a short lunch break when they noticed Newton’s door had been kicked in.
They rushed inside the apartment located at 1205 Metropolitan Ave. SE, and saw Anderson burglarizing the home.
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Newton told his friend to leave and tried to stop Anderson, who reached for his gun and opened fire. One of the bullets pierced Newton’s heart, killing him.
Anderson ran from the apartment complex, but surveillance video showed a man fitting his description wearing a black knit cap casing the apartment complex before the crimes, Jones said.
Anderson claimed he was out of town at the time of the shooting, but DNA evidence contradicted these claims.
In addition to murder, Anderson was also convicted of aggravated assault, first-degree burglary and weapons charges.
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