The TVOne true-crime show “ATL Homicide” is now into its third season, and continues to recreate cases as told by David Quinn and Vince Velazquez, two retired Atlanta Police Department homicide detectives. The show’s unique format intertwines narration by Quinn, Velazquez, and other APD investigators, with re-enactments by actors.
In 2019, the Atlanta City Council recognized Quinn and Velazquez for their homicide detective experience and for raising awareness to issues officers and victims face when solving violent crime cases.
Some of the cases featured on the show were followed extensively for years by Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporters while others appeared briefly in the newspaper’s “Law & Order” briefs column. Other cases weren’t covered by the paper at all.
Listed below are highlights from how the AJC covered some of the events featured in the third season of “ATL Homicide.”
You can find the AJC’s coverage of other “ATL Homicide” cases here, as well as a comprehensive list of Georgia true-crime cases that have been the subject of podcasts and television shows.
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Episode 1: The death of Ladeddrick Love
From Oct. 10, 2013
3 convicted in drug dealer’s revenge killing
The man accused of being the gunman in a 2010 shooting that killed a 19-year-old and injured a 2-year-old pleaded guilty this week, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office said. ...
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Episode 2: The death of Dennis McGuire
From Aug. 10, 2012
Serial killer may have slain 4 in S.W. Atlanta
Police believe there is a strong likelihood that a serial killer murdered three men over the past 11 years in the Cativo Drive neighborhood of southwest Atlanta, a homicide detective said Thursday. Authorities also see a potential connection to a fourth victim. ...
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From Aug. 10, 2012
Suspected serial killer waives court hearing
A suspected serial killer waived his first appearance hearing Saturday in Fulton County Superior Court. William Howard Davis, linked by police to at least three killings in southwest Atlanta, did not appear in court and remains in jail. His next court date has not been set but will come after an indictment. ...
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From Aug. 11, 2012
The alleged killer next door: Neighbors lived with suspicions, fear of suspect
The caller ID listed a local church. Evelyn McGuire answered the phone, unaware that the man she believed killed her husband was on the other end. “The hair stood up on my body,” recalled McGuire, whose husband, Dennis, was shot twice while in the couple’s backyard on Nov. 10, 2007. ...
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Episode 3: The deaths of Ernest Wilson and Lamar Francis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution did not give this case much coverage, but did mention it in a “Law & Order” brief in the newspaper’s July 15, 2004 edition.
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The AJC did not cover the events featured in episodes 4 (the death of Dexter Freeman) and 5 (the death of Timothy Reeves).
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Episode 6: The death of Leonard Hill
The AJC did not cover the 1988 killing of Hill on Rawson Street. However, the paper did note the arrest of Willie Taylor in August 2016:
From Aug. 28, 2016
Atlanta police make arrest in 1988 cold case
Atlanta police say they are one step closer to closing a homicide case from 1988. Willie Taylor, 74, was arrested Monday by the Atlanta police’s Fugitive Unit and charged with the 1988 murder of Leonard Hill. ...
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Episode 7: The death of Jasmine Lynn
The AJC extensively covered the shooting death of Clark Atlanta University sophom*ore Jasmine Lynn in 2009, the ensuing trial of Devonni Manuel Benton and a lawsuit brought by Lynn’s family against the school. Here are just a few highlights from the coverage.
From Sept. 4, 2009
Shooting victim dreamed of Spelman for years
Jasmine Lynn loved school so much, her mother said, it was hard to believe she died not far from the university she had dreamed of going to since seventh grade. ... Now just two weeks into her sophom*ore year, police said, she was killed early Thursday walking near Spelman College.
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Credit: KEITH MYERS/The Kansas City Star
Credit: KEITH MYERS/The Kansas City Star
From Sept. 4, 2009
Fatal shooting of Spelman student exposes campus safety concerns
Jasmine Lynn shouldn’t have had any reason to fear the street intersection on the campus of Clark Atlanta University. But a fight that students say erupted between some students and non-students ended in gunfire that left Lynn dead from a stray bullet and another student wounded. She died near student housing and the Atlanta University Center library. ...
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Credit: Elissa Eubanks, eeubanks@ajc.com
Credit: Elissa Eubanks, eeubanks@ajc.com
From Sept. 8, 2009
Jasmine Lynn remembered as exceptional student
Jasmine’s Lynn’s family came together in Sister’s Chapel on Spelman’s College campus Tuesday. Not only her mother and father but her classmates from Spelman as well as some students from Clark Atlanta and Morehouse colleges filled the crowded sanctuary for the memorial service for the Kansas City, Mo., woman. ...
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Photo gallery from the memorial here.
From Oct. 8, 2009
ITT Tech student charged with killing Spelman student
Devonni Manuel Benton, 21, was arrested around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at ITT Technical Institute. He is being held in the Fulton County jail on one count of murder and one count of aggravated assault ...
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From Nov. 6, 2009
Parents of slain Spelman student sue Clark Atlanta University
The parents of a dead Spelman College sophom*ore want Clark Atlanta University to pay them for pain and suffering they and their daughter suffered after the 19-year-old woman was hit by a stray bullet while walking on the CAU campus. ...
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From Feb. 18, 2010
Murder trial witness ‘looked the shooter right in the face’
On the first day of his murder trial, Devonni Manuel Benton was directly pointed out as the man who shot and killed Spelman College sophom*ore Jasmine Lynn on Sept. 3. ...
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From Feb. 19, 2010
Spelman trial: Benton blames friend from stand for shooting death
Devonni Benton took the stand Thursday afternoon to tell a Fulton County jury he didn’t shoot and kill Spelman College sophom*ore Jasmine Lynn on Sept. 3. “I didn’t do it,” he said from the stand. ...
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From Feb. 21, 2010
Spelman trial: Benton gets life plus 25 years in murder of Jasmine Lynn
A Fulton County jury found Devonni Manuel “Devo” Benton guilty of murder and two counts of aggravated assault Saturday in the September shooting that killed Spelman College sophom*ore Jasmine Lynn. Benton, 21, was sentenced to a life sentence plus 25 years for the random killing along with a weapons possession charge. ...
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From April 27, 2010
Spelman murder case witness arrested on gun, drug charges
A man implicated in the September murder of Spelman student Jasmine Lynn was arrested last week for a stolen gun and drug possession, authorities said. ...
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Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
From April 28, 2010
DA: Gun not Jasmine Lynn murder weapon
A gun found on a man implicated by Jasmine Lynn’s convicted murderer was not used to kill the Spelman student in September, authorities said Tuesday. ...
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Episode 8: The death of Janice Renee Hutchinson
From Aug. 6, 2014
Police investigate homicide at Boulevard apartment complex
Atlanta police Wednesday were investigating a homicide at the Bedford Pine Apartments on Boulevard. Officers responding to a “person down” call just after 9 a.m. Wednesday found a woman dead inside an apartment, according to Atlanta police...
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From Aug. 8, 2014
Police: Struggle preceded woman’s death in Bedford Pines apartment
A woman found dead in her Atlanta apartment Wednesday had apparently struggled with someone in the apartment, where some electronic items were missing, police said Friday afternoon. Janice Hutchison who was found dead in her Bedford Pines apartment on Boulevard about 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, a day after her daughter Shuwona Hutchinson reported her missing. ...
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Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
From Feb. 15, 2019
Man who strangled friend because she didn’t have crack gets life
A man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2014 murder of a friend who he stabbed and strangled because she didn’t have any crack. Prosecutors said 47-year-old Demetrius Flournoy stabbed 49-year-old Janice Renee Hutchison in her Atlanta apartment, choked her with an electrical cord and poured bleach on her body in an attempt to conceal the murder. ...
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The AJC did not cover the events featured in episode 9 (the death of Craig Porter).
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Episode 10: The death of Antonio McBride
The AJC covered the initial discovery of McBride’s body, and followed that report with this one identifying the victim:
From Nov 4, 2015
Man shot dead in southwest Atlanta identified
Antonio McBride of Atlanta was found in some bushes in the 100 block of Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard near Parsons Street at about 4:30 a.m., according to Atlanta police dispatchers. ...
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Credit: Crime Stoppers Atlanta
Credit: Crime Stoppers Atlanta
Episode 11: The death of Shanna Smith
From Aug. 4 2016
Woman shot in head while driving
Shanna Smith, 24, was shot near Hadlock Street and Leslie Avenue. “All we have right now is that we noticed she was most likely behind the wheel of the vehicle when she got shot, and the vehicle kept going,” Atlanta police Maj. Adam Lee III said. “She lost control apparently and veered off the side of the road.” ...
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From March 9, 2017
Arrest made in 7-month-old murder case
More than seven months after a woman was shot and killed while driving in southwest Atlanta, police have arrested the person they believe killed her. ...
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Atlanta police investigate the shooting death of a woman in southwest Atlanta. Video by John Spink/AJC
From Oct. 25, 2019
2 found guilty of murdering woman in case of mistaken identity
Matthew Larkins, 37, and Travon Mack, 27, were among a group of five men who opened fire into Smith’s vehicle on Aug. 4 in retaliation for the shooting of a fellow gang member the previous day, according to Fulton County prosecutors. She died of a single gunshot wound to the side of her head. ...
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Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
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Episode 12: The death of Rosendo Urban
The AJC did not cover the death of Urban in 2002 but later followed developments in the 2004 trial of Anthony McKnight, who was convicted of killing Urban. McKnight was soon convicted of killing another man in a separate incident.
From the Metro section of Dec. 11, 2004
Credit: AJC archive
Credit: AJC archive
Credit: File
Credit: File
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Episode 13: The death of Aaron Holloway
From Sept. 29, 2010
Victim in fatal home invasion identified; 3 others injured
The deceased man was identified as Aaron Holloway, 33, of Mableton, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. Two other men were shot. ... About 8:15 p.m., two gunmen came into the house, which doubles as a recording studio. The only demand they made was that everyone get on the floor, ...
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From Sept. 24, 2012
Arrest made in 2010 shooting death at Atlanta recording studio
Brandon Lamar Philpot was arrested Monday and charged with felony murder in the Sept. 28, 2010 death of Aaron Holloway, 33, of Mableton. ...
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The man lived in a third floor apartment at the Skylofts on Oak Street.
Episode 14: The death of Jose Greer
From Dec. 9, 2015
Man dies after jumping from balcony during Atlanta home invasion
Jose Greer, 51, called 911 Tuesday night to report that men were kicking in his door before he went over his balcony railing and landed on the concrete below, Maj. Adam Lee said. “He jumped in fear of his safety,” Lee said. ...
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From Dec. 10, 2015
Hat may lead Atlanta police to 3 suspects tied to man’s fatal jump
Police are hoping a distinctive hat — along with a video of the alleged criminals and a $25,000 reward — will help solve the case. ...
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From Jan. 14, 2016
Arrest made in home invasion death of Atlantan who jumped from balcony
U.S. marshals arrested Lilche Stafford in Denver, police said. The Atlanta-area suspect is charged with one count of felony murder and burglary in the death of Jose Greer on Dec. 8. ...
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From Feb. 4, 2016
2nd arrest in death of man who jumped from balcony to escape intruders
A second man has been arrested in an Atlanta home invasion that ended with the resident jumping from his balcony and dying, police said Thursday. Mark Spencer, 20, was arrested Feb. 2 and charged with murder in the December 2015 death of Jose Greer, police said. He was taken to the Fulton County Jail. ...
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Episode 15: The death of Charles Boyer
From Nov. 26, 2010
Police link men to carjacking; unclear if murder involvement
Police weren’t prepared to link the two men to the robberies and the death of Boyer, 39, who was shot on Monday night while returning with his girlfriend to her apartment near Virginia Avenue and Monroe Drive. ...
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From Nov. 30, 2010
Man questioned about SUV in Virginia Highland killing is charged in unrelated case
A man who has been questioned by police about a stolen SUV used in the killing of a man in Atlanta’s Virginia Highland neighborhood last week has been charged in an unrelated beating of a cab driver. ...
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From Dec. 21, 2010
Virginia-Highland killing solved?
The Atlanta Police Department announced last week that five men were in custody and were suspects in a string of home invasions and the death of Charles Boyer. They said Friday that officers were searching for a sixth suspect. ...
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Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
From Dec. 22, 2010
Mom of Virginia-Highland victim: ‘He was running away — why?’
“He was running away — why did they have to kill him?” the 67-year-old woman sobbed on Wednesday. “He didn’t have any weapons. He was such a kind person, very responsible and very honest. He was running away — why?” ...
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From Dec. 27, 2010
3 charged with murder in Virginia-Highland shooting
Atlanta police arrested three young men and charged them with murder in a high-profile shooting in the Virginia-Highland area and a rape and home invasion a few hours later in Grant Park, but suspect they could be linked to more than 20 other crimes. ...
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From Oct. 3, 2012
‘Jack Boys’ on trial for month-long crime spree
Alleged members of the so-called “Jack Boys” gang — blamed for a violent, murderous criminal rampage through east Atlanta neighborhoods in the fall of 2010 — had their day in court Wednesday as a Fulton County jury heard opening statements. ...
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Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
From Oct. 11, 2012
‘Jack Boys’ guilty of murder, rape
A Fulton County jury returned guilty verdicts agains Tamario Wise, Robert Veal and Fernandez Whatley; all three had varied levels of participation in a month-long crime spree that included the Nov. 22 murder of Charles Boyer and the rape hours later of a Grant Park woman. ...
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Nov. 14, 2012
‘Jack Boys’ leader gets 15 life sentences plus 290 years
Tamario Wise and co-defendant Robert Veal were found guilty Oct. 11 of a multitude offenses in a 90-count indictment that included charges of murder, rape, sodomy, aggravated assault and false imprisonment. ...
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