Jurors in Alabama convicted a man of murdering two half-sisters he believed had stolen his wallet at his birthday party.
Desmond Lavonta Brown, 28, got it wrong. His mother called him after the killings to say she discovered the missing item behind his television in the living room, according to the Rome News-Tribune. Testimony at pretrial showed Brown, cursing, pulled out of a Zaxby’s drive-thru when he learned the truth.
“He said, ‘I just got two bodies for nothing,”” GBI Special Agent Ghee Wilson reportedly testified.
And now Brown is going to serve a life sentence without parole after jurors took less than an hour to reach their verdict, prosecutors said. The two half-sisters, Vanita Richardson, 18, and Truvenia Campbell, 30, had attended the birthday party at his home in Rome, Georgia, on May 12, 2020. Authorities tried Brown in Alabama because that’s where they say the killings happened.
Desmond Lavonta Brown murdered Vanita Richardson and Truvenia Campbell, prosecutors said. (Mug shot: District Attorney Summer Summerford of DeKalb and Cherokee Counties in Alabama)
Christopher Pullen, 26, one of Brown’s co-defendants, reportedly testified at trial that they and Devin Watts, 40, invited the women to join them on a drug deal. It was a trap. During the drive, Brown repeatedly questioned the women on the whereabouts of his wallet before grabbing Campbell’s purse and shooting her three times. Richardson gave him her purse, and she too was shot and killed, testified Pullen, who claimed not to see who committed this other murder.
Christopher Pullen, left, and Devin Watts, right, were charged with murder as co-defendants of the lead defendant, Desmond Lavonta Brown. (Mug shots: Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office)
The slain Richardson and Campbell, bags on their heads, were dumped off a bridge spanning the Etowah River in Rome, authorities said. Bridge inspectors discovered their remains.
Say Their Names: Stepsisters Vanita Richardson & Truvenia Campbell Found Dead Under Georgia Bridge With Bags On Their Heads And Tattered Clothes
(Image via family) https://t.co/Mw9VM93AMI pic.twitter.com/oHNlHwxVOL
— Bossip (@Bossip) May 18, 2020
“This case was made possible by cooperation between multiple agencies,” said Summer Summerford, district attorney of DeKalb and Cherokee Counties in Alabama. “Many thanks to the many individuals who played a part in this investigation and prosecution. Also, a special thanks to GBI Special Agent Ghee Wilson and the Floyd County District Attorney’s Office. The families of the victims have been diligent during this process. They loved Vanita and Truvenia and are committed to seeing the process through. Many people do not realize how difficult this process is on families who have lost their loved ones in a brutal and horrific way. Our prayers continue for them through this holiday season. I also want to say a special ‘thank you’ to the jurors who gave up the better part of a month of their lives to act as the community’s representatives. Their attention during the whole process was extraordinary. Listening and seeing the evidence in this case was not an easy thing to do.”
Online records show Pullen and Watts remain at the Cherokee County Jail in Alabama.
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