State Appeals To Have Evidence Included In Fulton County Murder Trial

ATLANTA, GA — State prosecutors are appealing to have evidence included in the murder trial of Lorenzo Harris, who is accused of killing 40-year-old Larry Jones in March 2019, according to Georgia Supreme Court documents.

A previous Fulton County trial court order ruled to omit certain evidence against Harris, according to court documents.

The Georgia Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the appeal Thursday.

Harris is accused of killing Jones and being involved in other shootings, including one 19 days before the killing of Jones, according to the court.

The Fulton County District Attorney's Office claimed the court abused its discretion by excluding certain evidence. Attorneys for Harris argue against the notion.

The Killing Of Larry Jones

Jones was shot and killed while sitting in his car around 8:45 p.m., March 26, 2019, at Vanira Avenue, according to court documents.

Before he died, Jones was able to provide details of a suspect to law enforcement, according to a Nov. 29, 2022, court briefing from the state.

According to the briefing, the shooter used a Glock 40 and was driving a red pickup truck with a Texas license plate that nearly hit Jones prior to his death. The driver of the truck shot into Jones' car, according to the briefing.

Law enforcement gathered information that indicated the truck either had a New York tag or a Texas tag, according to the briefing.

Harris told police he drove a burgundy Dodge Ram, according to the briefing.

He argued Jones never told law enforcement the shooter was driving a red Dodge Ram or had a New York tag, according to court documents filed by Rickey Richardson, Harris' attorney.

Witness accounts initially put Harris at the scene; however, once Jones died, no one was able to directly identify Harris as the shooter, according to the briefing.

According to court documents, while in the hospital, Jones told Atlanta Police investigators that the shooter drove a red Silverado with a Texas tag. The truck almost backed into Jones' car, according to the documents.

The documents also state Jones said the shooter was tall with glasses.

Other Shootings

Harris is also accused of shooting a man in his leg in August 2018. A Glock 40 was used in this shooting, as well, according to the briefing.

The man who was shot detailed the suspect to law enforcement and identified as Harris as the shooter in a six-person photographic lineup, according to the briefing.

The man was shot a second time on Dec. 15, 2020, identifying Harris as the shooter, according to the briefing. The gun used in this case was a 9-millimeter handgun, according to the briefing. Harris was out on bond at the time, according to the briefing.

A woman said she was shot on March 7, 2019, in the 900 block of Hank Aaron Drive. A 40-caliber gun was used in the shooting, which took place 19 days before Jones was killed and one block away from where he was shot, according to the briefing.

Another man said he was robbed at gunpoint when shots were fired, according to the briefing. Court documents do not list a date for the suspected armed robbery.

A 9-millimeter handgun was used for the shooting, and Harris was identified as a suspect in the case, according to the briefing. Harris is accused of telling two other people to shoot the man, according to the briefing.

Harris Faces Charges

Harris admitted parking lot surveillance cameras as evidence, which he claims to show no one at the scene of Jones' killing other than Jones and his cousin, according to court documents.

"The fundamental difficulty with prosecuting Lorenzo Harris is the lack of evidence or and lack of untainted credible evidence," Richardson wrote in a briefing.

Evidence against Harris include cell phone records, and Harris is accused of having two 9-millimeter guns at the time of his arrest, according to the briefing.

According to court documents filed by his attorney Nov. 23, 2022, Harris was arrested Jan. 11, 2021, and was denied bond twice.

Harris was indicted by a Fulton County grand jury Aug. 2, 2021, and was charged on suspicion of murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the documents.

Harris pleaded not guilty Aug. 31, 2021.