Demetrius Mitchell

A visit to Atlanta from his hometown of Chicago turned fatal for Demetrius Merrill, a 22-year-old Black man, in the first hours of September 2, 2015. Demetrius had traveled to Georgia with his friend, Branden Stone, to stay with Stone’s cousin at the Envoy at Northside apartments. A social get-together inside the gated complex on Northside Drive, not far from the city's Georgia Dome, devolved into a deadly argument that ended Demetrius’s life and unraveled the lives of those present. While some initial public records listed his name as Mitchell, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office and all subsequent legal proceedings confirmed his identity as Demetrius Merrill.

Just after midnight, a 911 call from Stone’s cousin summoned the Atlanta Police Department to the apartment, where they discovered Demetrius deceased from multiple gunshot wounds. According to an investigation by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, the three men had been drinking alcohol and had taken Xanax while hanging out. At some point, an altercation erupted, and Branden Stone shot Demetrius in the neck, arm, and leg as he sat at a kitchen table. The gathering of friends had shattered in an instant, leaving one man dead and another facing the consequences.

Branden Stone, then 31, was immediately identified as the shooter. He told his cousin and later, police, that he had fired in self-defense. Stone claimed that Demetrius, who was also armed, had been dancing or joking around with his own gun and pointed it at him, saying, "one in the head." Stone insisted he believed his life was in danger. Investigators confirmed that both men had guns at the scene, but evidence showed that only Stone's weapon had been discharged. This detail led police to pursue a manslaughter charge instead of murder, with one major commenting that while the killing was not justified, it did not appear to be a premeditated act.

The sole witness to the shooting, Stone’s cousin, contradicted the self-defense narrative, disputing Stone's account of feeling threatened. Stone’s conduct after the shooting further damaged his credibility. While being held in a police interrogation room, he was observed taking a box of matches from his pocket, discarding the clothes he was wearing into a trash can, and setting them on fire in a clear attempt to destroy evidence. This act became a significant element in the prosecution's case against him.

The investigation was led by Detective John Egbert of the Atlanta Police Department. The case proceeded to a jury trial in Fulton County, where Chief Senior Assistant District Attorney Seleta Griffin and Assistant District Attorney Ryan Batista prosecuted Branden Stone. In March 2017, nearly a year and a half after Demetrius’s death, the jury returned its verdict, finding Stone guilty of voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Following the conviction, a judge sentenced Branden Stone to 10 years in prison, with an additional five years of probation to be served upon his release. The court’s decision brought a legal conclusion to the case, framing the tragedy as a sudden and violent escalation between two friends under the influence of drugs and alcohol, rather than a calculated murder. The case is now closed, leaving behind the painful memory of a young man’s visit that ended in his senseless death.