Decatur Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Fatal 2020 Armed Robbery Attempt

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced a conviction by jury trial in the case against a Decatur man accused of participating in an attempted armed robbery that resulted in the death of 31-year-old Charles Lewis.

On Friday, September 6, a jury found 23-year-old Antonio Lee guilty on multiple charges, including Malice Murder, two counts of Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Criminal Attempt to Commit Armed Robbery, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. These charges stem from the January 28, 2020, shooting. Lee was 18 at the time of the shooting.

According to the investigation, officers from the DeKalb County Police Department responded at around 10:40 a.m. to a call reporting a shooting in the 600 block of Wesley Club Drive in unincorporated Decatur. Upon arrival, officers found Lewis lying on the floor of his apartment with multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics transported him to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Investigators recovered shell casings in the apartment building’s stairwell and found a rose gold iPhone on a path leading to the building. Police linked the phone to Defendant Lee. During an interview, Lee claimed he was on his way to Lewis’s apartment to buy marijuana when he heard gunshots and fled, dropping his phone. However, video surveillance from the area contradicted his account. Investigators later discovered that Lee had ridden with his co-defendant, Vincent Smith, and another unknown individual to Lewis’s apartment. After the shooting, the two men drove Lee back home.

Following the guilty verdicts, Senior Judge Daniel M. Coursey, Jr., who presided over the trial in DeKalb County Superior Court, sentenced Lee to life in prison plus five years.

Vincent Jamal Smith, 24, the co-defendant, pleaded guilty on February 26, 2024, to charges of Voluntary Manslaughter, Aggravated Assault, Attempted Armed Robbery, Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Crime, two counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Fleeing, Hit and Run, and Theft by Receiving Stolen Property. He was sentenced to 25 years, with 20 years to be served in custody and the remaining five on probation.

The case, prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Helen Pott, with support from Assistant District Attorney Eliazette Johnson, District Attorney Investigator Curtis Averhart, and Victim Advocate Kaysha Albritton, was assigned to the Homicide and Gangs Unit. The initial investigation was led by DeKalb County Police Department Detective Wright.