Two alleged gang members - whose violent feud led to the retaliation murder of a 16-year-old in Pepperidge subdivison - were denied bond today.
Appearing just minutes apart before Superior Court Judge Bernard J. Mulherin Sr., defense attorneys for the teens failed to persuade the judge to grant bond to 16-year-old Tyrone Reid Jr. and 19-year-old Darian Deandre Postell.
The teens and their co-defendants are part of separate cases that are connected by a series of violent encounters that culminated with the Jan. 26 fatal shooting on Brandon Taylor, 16.
Falin Rogers, an assistant district attorney, told the court Reid was driving in the Cambridge subdivision on Jan. 25 with two other teens when they spotted Brandon Ira Le'Keith Helm and Marvin Major. Authorities said Reid was a member of the Pepperidge Thugs gang and also identified with the Barton Village-based ODUB gang, while Helm and Major are members of the Georgia Deadly Boys gang.
Angry because of a fight that broke out two days before at a birthday party at the Gracewood Community Center, Reid allegedly fired at least two shots at Helm and Major but missed. Several hours later, police believe Helm and Postell went to Taylor's home in Pepperidge and shot him through his bedroom window as retaliation. Postell stood across the street and acted as a lookout while Helm shot Taylor though the window, authorities said.
Taylor - who police said was a member of the Pepperidge Thugs - was hit in the stomach and died a short time later.
Wearing T-shirts featuring Taylor's image and the words "Gone but not forgotten," several members of his family were present in court as Judge Mulherin considered Postell's bond.
Taylor's mother, Robin Fuewell, said any bond set for Postell would be a huge mistake.
"These boys have taken my family through some pain that no one else in this room can imagine," Fuewell said. "If he is let out on bond I think that would be the worst mistake made, other than the killing of my child."
Judge Mulherin denied bond to both Reid and Postell.
After the hearings, Fuewell and a woman identified as Reid's mother, could be seen embracing inside the courtroom.
Tearful, the two could be heard telling each other: "I'm so sorry."
Reach Adam Folk at (706) 823-3339 or adam.folk@augustachronicle.com.
And these are the kids in school with actual students. God, what a horrible mess we have handed to our children to deal with every day.
see what happens when you take god out of the school and put the government in.the government fails the people in everything they put there hands in.
Thank goodness for judges with some common sense!
I'm surprised they are not back out on the street.
I'm surprised they are not back out on the street.
That is exactly right confederate. This mess is from our own making. When God is removed so are the values of life that are necessary for a community to live together. Children today are not disciplined like they were when I grew up. If I messed up in school my Daddy spanked good when I got home. Today it would be called abuse. Most of these kids don't even have Dad's at home. Yes, our society kicked God out and said to be free and do what you want and now look at what we got. Yet the liberals today are still filing suits with ALCU to take out prayer! How bout the community High School that had to decide to drop the prom because the ACLU forced them to let lesbian girls come. How far down are we going to go before we realize that we got to get back to God and His word!
Children not being disciplined, people not obeying the laws of America, people not respecting the rights and freedoms of others, etc has nothing to do with anybody's personal beliefs about religion not being embraced by government funded schools. If you want your personal religion in your children's education then homeschool them, enroll them in a private school with your shared beliefs, or move to a "religious nation" where that nation's government sponsors a religon and forces it upon its citizens.
Baron, we have had this discussion before in other areas. Values, rights, morals, evil vs. right come from God. Ask yourself and be honest: are we really better off now as a nation than we were even 75 years ago? 75 years ago we had less money and things in our lives but we had a stronger basis of Christian values then. With the throwing out of prayer in schools, killing babies in abortion clinics what do we expect to have happen? The 10 commandments are the values that were given by God to help humanity live in peace. We need more people turning toward God as He revealed Himself in His son, Jesus Christ not turning away from Him. You posted so many comments about how we ought to have love toward the homosexuals and I agree that we should love them just not condone their ways. Where do you think that love should come from? it is not inherently born in the hearts of men. They killl themselves first. You have to teach a child to do right because they already know how to do wrong. Our kids must be taught love and we can only give it to them if we first have received the love of God ourselves. So it has everything to do with it. And as a matter of fact. I have done all three, homeschooled, public school and private schooled my children. If our nation does not turn back to God then we will surely fall.
Bond ? Nope, just get a rope. These gang-bangers are off the chain. You have to make an example of them. Prison doesn't bother them b/c the gangs run the prison. Now, they have status( street cred) and are big shots in prison. Just another problem derived from the War on Drugs.
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