Tragedy Involving African-American Sheriff's Deputy Takes Interesting Twist
A 17-year-old Georgia boy has been charged with murder in the fatal shootings of his mother and her two little girls, one of whom was rap star Juvenile's 4-year-old daughter.
Anthony Tyrone Terrell Jr. was charged Friday in the deaths at the family home near Lawrenceville, where the bodies were found the night before, said police spokeswoman Illana Spellman.
She identified the victims as Gwinnett County Sheriff's Deputy Joy Deleston, 39, and her two daughters, Micaiah, 11, and Jelani, 4. The motive was still unclear.Deleston brought a paternity lawsuit in 2004, claiming that the 32-year-old rap star Juvenile, whose real name is Terius Gray, was Jelani's father, Gwinnett County court records show.
The case was resolved in 2006 with both agreeing Juvenile was the father.
Terrell was taken to jail in neighboring DeKalb County to avoid any potential conflict because Deleston worked for Gwinnett County, Spellman said. He is being held without bail.
Because of his age, prosecutors cannot seek the death penalty against Terrell. A preliminary hearing will be set next week.
Neighbors said the family had moved in less than a year ago. They often saw Deleston in her squad car coming home from work and said having a deputy around was reassuring.
Jeff Beaird, who lives across the street, said he often saw Terrell in the driveway shooting hoops with his friends or washing his mother's patrol car but doesn't remember anything out of the ordinary.
"It's so shocking because you don't expect something like this to happen," Beaird said.
Juvenile has been arrested several times on charges ranging from failure to pay child support to resisting an officer in a scuffle at a Florida mall in 1999. Most of the charges have been dismissed. Right now, the successful Black rapper is said to be "shocked and devastated"
Hundreds of law enforcement people were on hand Sunday to pay tribute to deputy Deleston. A solemn procession began at the sheriff's headquarters and went to a private memorial service for Joy Deleston's family.
She will be buried in her hometown in South Carolina. Deleston and her two daughters -- Jelani and Micaiah were found dead in their Lawrenceville home Thursday and Anthony has confessed to killing his family. It remains unknown why he did it. [AP]