AUGUSTA (WJBF) – The District Attorney’s Major Crimes Division announces the jury trial conviction of 40-year-old Tony Rodrequez Burton for the October 3, 2020 killing at the Augusta Mall.
26-year-old Derell Demarcus Little was killed that day.
A Richmond County jury found Burton guilty of 2 counts of Voluntary Manslaughter and Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony.
The gun that ultimately claimed Little’s life was his own. Evidence revealed that this incident began as a fight in the mall. The surveillance video shows the defendant body slam the victim to the ground. The victim’s friend intervenes in the altercation attempting to break them up. The defendant takes the victim’s weapon from his waistband, and during the course of the fight a shot is fired and strikes an innocent bystander.
After the initial gunshot, the victim takes off running and the defendant chases him through the mall with the gun. Surveillance shows the unarmed victim running away as the defendant chases him into a clothing store. Patrons of the store are put at risk for their lives as the defendant shoots multiple times.
While the Grand Jury found that the evidence established sufficient probable cause for murder charges, the trial jury found the defendant guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter.
Burton was sentenced to 25 years in prison, plus a $100,000 fine.
