Jury convicts man who opened fire in DeKalb motel room, killing 2

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury convicted him in the shooting deaths of two people at an extended-stay motel in unincorporated Decatur.

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The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office announced that a jury found William Leftenent,39, of Philadelphia guilty Wednesday of two counts of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

On Thursday, a judge sentenced Leftenent to life without the possibility of parole, plus 10 years.

The convictions stem from a shooting that happened around 4:30 a.m. on May 28, 2024, at an extended-stay motel in the 3600 block of Flat Shoals Parkway.

According to investigators, DeKalb County police officers responded to reports of a shooting and were directed to a first-floor motel room. Inside, officers found 35-year-old Mariana Greene unresponsive on the floor. She had been shot in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses told police that a second victim, 32-year-old Lamar Pringle, had been driven to Grady Memorial Hospital by friends after being shot in the back. He later died from his injuries.

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Investigators said multiple witnesses identified the shooter as a man known as “Philly.” Witnesses reported hearing an argument between Philly and another man inside the motel room before the shooting. They said the suspect briefly left the room, returned and opened fire.

Surveillance video from the motel supported witness accounts, according to prosecutors. The footage showed the suspect leaving the room, returning to retrieve a hooded sweatshirt, then coming back again with the hood pulled over his head. Investigators said the video captured him firing three rounds into the motel room from outside the front door before running away.

Detectives canvassed the motel and learned that the man known as Philly frequently stayed there with a woman. During the investigation, officers located a previous police report involving the woman and William Leftenent, a man from Philadelphia. Investigators compared surveillance footage from the shooting with a photograph of Leftenent and determined he was the gunman.

Arrest warrants were obtained on May 29, 2024. Leftenent remained at large until March 19, 2025, when authorities arrested him in Orlando, Fla.

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