Teen Gets 35 Years For Murder Of City Activist

ATLANTA, GA — A teenager will spend 35 years behind bars without parole after pleading guilty Monday to the murder of a local community activist. Eric Banks Jr., 18, was convicted for the killing last year of Barney Simms, 70, a retired Atlanta Housing Authority executive who was involved with several community groups, according to a media report.

On April 9, 2016, Banks shot Simms twice in the back, Fulton County prosecutors said in a statement. Atlanta police officers found Simms' body in his own front yard near the 2800 block of Connally Drive. His wallet and car were stolen, the front door of his home had been left open and a flat screen television was missing.

Police detectives tracked Simms' most recent purchase, which led them to a surveillance video that showed Banks eating with Simms at a Waffle House on Virginia Avenue the day of the shooting, Fulton prosecutors said. Several of Banks' relatives confirmed his identity after watching the surveillance video.

Detectives also traced fraudulent charges made to Simms' bank card, confirming Banks as the perpetrator. On April 14, 2016, Atlanta police took Banks into custody after his mother turned him in at her home near the 1800 block of Plaza Lane, the prosecutors said..

When questioned by detectives, Banks confessed to shooting Simms twice in the back and stealing his car and related personal items. Police later found Barney Simms’ vehicle in Banks' neighborhood near the 1800 block of Idlewood Drive in East Point, Fulton prosecutors said.

Simms served as president of the Bonnybrook Neighborhood Association, WGCL-TV CBS46 reported. He was also involved in several other community organizations.

“Barney Simms was a well-respected leader and community activist," Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. said in the statement. "Mr. Simms’ death was a senseless killing leaving a large hole in our community. It is our hope that this plea to murder will bring a sense of closure to the family and to the citizens of our county.”

Banks pleaded guilty Monday to eight felony counts, including malice murder, felony murder (three counts), hijacking a motor vehicle, armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to Fulton County prosecutors. The 35-year sentence was handed down by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams.

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