DOUBLE LIFE SENTENCES FOR DRUG-RELATED MURDERS

State vs. Ray Bryant and Paul Mathis

Atlanta- A Fulton County Jury has returned guilty verdicts in the homicide case against two Atlanta drug dealers. 30-year old Ray Bryant and 24-year old Paul Mathis were each convicted of Murder and weapons charges along with Aggravated Assault and Attempted Armed Robbery in the death of Jurrell Williams, age 20.

Williams was beaten and shot in the parking lot of a Southwest Atlanta apartment complex on October 18, 2006. According to eyewitness testimony, the defendants walked up to the victim and began searching him. They then struck him in the mouth with a handgun knocking out two teeth out and forcing him to the ground. Paul Mathis, the triggerman, then opened fire shooting the victim once in the chest. Both men fled the scene after searching the victim’s pockets. He died a short time later at Grady Memorial Hospital. The defendants had previously warned the victim about selling drugs on their “turf” and threatened to kill him if he did not stop.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Marvin Arrington, who presided over the case, sentenced both defendants to Life plus five years.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorneys Tanya Miller and Reid Thompson with assistance from Investigator Kelvin Roberts of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Investigations Unit. Detective A.C. Smith of the Atlanta Police Department led the initial investigation.

Media Contact: Yvette Brown, 404-224-0560/404-392-8867, yvette.brown@fultoncountyga.gov