Man Who Laughed In Courtroom Reenactment Of Shooting Found Guilty

ATLANTA, GA -- A man has been found guilty of murder in the shooting death of another man outside a SW Atlanta block party in 2016. Andrew Neloms, 30, was found guilty on Tuesday in the murder of Octavious Brooks, 43. Both men were attending the block party outside a SW Atlanta apartment complex when Neloms confronted Brooks and claimed the victim had previously flirted with his girlfriend.

Neloms walked away and entered an apartment, while Brooks walked over to a woman who was standing nearby to explain to her what happened during the altercation. Brooks then walked to his car which was parked nearby in the parking lot, opened the driver’s side door, and sat down in the front seat. He left the door open and sat with his legs hanging outside the car while listening to music.

Moments later, Neloms approached the victim from the rear of the vehicle while carrying a 12-gauge shotgun in his hands. Neloms pointed the shotgun at the victim and fired two shots. One of the shots struck Brooks in the heart and the other struck the victim in the back. Neloms ran from the scene and disposed of the murder weapon. Brooks was found dead at the scene.

Police found Brooks’ body in the front seat, his legs were still hanging out of the open front door, and he was bleeding profusely. The woman who Brooks talked to after the initial altercation with Neloms told police she saw Neloms carrying the shotgun. She said he approached Brooks’ vehicle from the rear driver’s side, pointed the gun at the victim, and as she turned to run, she heard the two shots.

Police also interviewed a friend who said he was with Neloms one month after the murder. That friend said Neloms bragged about killing Brooks and said he was on the run for the murder.

Neloms was arrested two months later, in January 2017, in Savannah, Ga. Neloms claimed he shot and killed Brooks in self-defense.

During the trial, Neloms testified in his own defense. He was asked by Fulton County Assistant District Attorney Adam Abbate, while testifying, to demonstrate to the jury how he shot Brooks on the day of the homicide. Using a replica shotgun to re-enact the crime, Neloms pulled the trigger, and in full view of the jury, he laughed.

Neloms has been a suspect in three separate murder cases.

Shutterstock