Gang member sentenced to life in prison for murder during robbery gone wrong in Gwinnett Co.

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Lilburn man with a history of gang-related crime was sentenced to life in prison for murdering a man during a robbery gone wrong.

On Jan. 9, 2019, Leslie Smith, 62, drove to Norcross to get a phone from someone involved in what police called a “counterfeiting enterprise.”

Smith decided not to go to the planned meeting place in an apartment complex, and instead waited in the parking lot of a retail strip mall at 6065 S. Norcross Tucker Road.

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According to court documents, Jordan Brantley, 27, arrived in an SUV and got into the back seat of the car Smith was in.

About a minute later, the driver of the SUV approached the car and Brantley shot Smith in the back of the head and got out of the car.

He then fired a shot across the car towards the driver, Steven Leap, breaking the driver’s side window.

The SUV driver, who was standing next to the driver’s side, took money and an ID from Leap at gunpoint, and then he and Brantley escaped in the SUV.

A witness to the shooting and robbery followed the SUV and called 911.

Using surveillance cameras, police tracked Brantley to the Stone Mountain Inn and Suits about six miles away and arrested him as he tried to convince a rideshare driver to help him escape.

Brantley and his partner in the SUV are both members of the Gangster Disciples.

Brantley has tattoos on his face, including one on his forehead that symbolizes his affiliation with the gang.

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Brantley was convicted Thursday of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.

A judge sentenced him to life in prison plus 10 years with the possibility of parole.

The jury deliberated for nine hours before delivering their verdict.

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