Murder convictions upheld for two Columbia County men accused of stabbing one-armed man
The Supreme Court of Georgia Tuesday upheld the murder convictions of two Columbia County men accused of fatally stabbing a one-armed man at Augusta State Medical Prison.
Michael Lorenzo Ward, 49, and Frederick Dewberry, 40, were convicted on Sept. 17, 2015 of malice murder and felony murder in connection to the stabbing death of Antonio Wiley, 30, on Aug. 28, 2011.
They were convicted of aggravated assault in connection to the stabbing of a second inmate on the same date.
Ward and Dewberry were each sentenced to service life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder charges, plus 20 years for the assault.
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Ward appealed the court's decision, stating the evidence was not sufficient to support his convictions, according to court documents. The trail court denied his motion for a new trial and the Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the decision.
In Dewberry's appeal, he stated the trial court should not have denied his motion for a directed verdict of acquittal, which is when a judge throws out a case due to lack of evidence, on the murder and assault charges, according to court documents.
He also noted the court allowed a "heavy police presence" in the courtroom violating his right to a fair trial, left a defense witness in visible restraints, and did not declare a mistrial after the prosecutor conferred with a witness, according to court documents.
As with Ward, the Supreme Court of Georgia found there was sufficient evidence to support Dewberry's convictions, according to court documents. They also found the police presence was adequate due to the nature of the trial – it was a trial for a murder inside of a prison involving rival gangs, where all three defendants were maximum security inmates.
The murder at Augusta State Medical Prison in 2011
On Aug. 28, 2011, the first inmate was stabbed multiple times at about 7:15 a.m., but survived his injuries. Between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. later that day, Wiley was stabbed at least 65 times in a yard outside of the prison dorms, according to court documents.
According to earlier reports in The Augusta Chronicle, a member of the Gangster Disciples at Hayes State Prison in Trion put out a hit on Wiley over a dispute about a cell phone battery.
Wiley had been at Hayes until his transfer to Augusta State Medical Prison just days before he was attacked, according to previous reports.
While a guard attempted to move Wiley to a gurney, the inmates, including Dewberry, started groping her, according to court documents. He died from blood loss.
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Other inmates indicted in the case
Richard James, 19 at the time of the stabbings, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in January 2015 and was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
Chas Clifford Cannon, 24 at the time of the stabbings, and Miracle Nwakanma, 23 at the time of the stabbings, each pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in May 2014 and were sentenced to five years in prison followed by five years probation.
Dedrick Crews, 30 at the time of the stabbings, was convicted of aggravated assault in January 2014 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Murder charges against Jean B. Fortie, 33 at the time of the stabbings, and Norman P. Simpson, 26 at the time of the stabbings, were placed in inactive status for judicial economy in February 2016 because they are already serving life sentences.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Court upholds murder convictions for two Columbia County men
