SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — Prosecutors say a drug dealer tried to implement street justice, but killed an innocent man instead.
Antoine Carmichael was convicted of shooting and killing Quentin Beavers in April 2024.
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Carmichael thought Beavers stole his stash of drugs while he played video lottery games in a South Fulton convenience store. But prosecutors say neither Beavers nor anyone else stole anything from Carmichael.
“The defendant was wrong. No one took his drugs. The victim didn’t take them. No one that was in that store that day took his drugs. He was just wrong,” Fulton County Chief Senior Assistant District Attorney Kassie Hall said.
District Attorney Fani Willis told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne that this case is a perfect example of why you don’t take justice into your own hands.
“He decided he was going to be judge and jury and executioner,” Willis said.
In a sentencing hearing, Beavers’ mother mourned the loss of her son, saying justice had been served.
“He left my child there like a dog,” Shaniqua Jordan said. “He was loved and I just wanna let him know, guess what? Enjoy the ride, buddy. Justice has been served.”
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Prosecutors say Carmichael is a repeat offender.
According to documents that Winne obtained from the Fulton County Superior Court Clerk’s Office, Carmichael has at least 10 prior arrests with sentencing dates from 1995 to 2021. Charges in those arrests including theft by receiving stolen property, drug or firearm offenses and willful obstruction of law enforcement officers.
Judge Scott McAfee took Carmichael’s long history of convictions into account when sentencing him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 15 years.
Defense attorney Kenneth Mitchell says Carmichael is appealing the verdict and maintains his innocence.
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