Community Corner
Bobby Tillman Remembered: Douglas DA Honors Murdered Teen
Douglas County DA Dalia Racine named a conference room after Tillman this week, who was murdered at a Douglasville house party in 2010.
DOUGLASVILLE, GA — Eleven years after 18-year-old Bobby Tillman was murdered at a Douglasville house party, the Douglas County district attorney has named a conference room in his honor.
Douglas DA Dalia Racine, elected officials, other county leaders and Tillman's family gathered Monday for a dedication ceremony to honor Tillman's life and a private ribbon-cutting event in the new conference room.
State Court Judge Brian Fortner, who was the lead prosecutor for the murder trial, and Sheriff Tim Pounds spoke at the ceremony, in addition to Racine and Tillman's mother, Monique Rivarde.
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"We are taking the tragic, tragic loss of a beautiful life and turning it into a celebration of possibility and purpose," Racine said during the ceremony. "His legacy continues to live on."
Balloons were released in Tillman's honor by his family.
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"Yesterday was Bobby's [death] anniversary, and it's been eleven years, but it feels like yesterday for us," Rivarde said. "I'm just honored and grateful because you don't have to remember Bobby. People lose their lives every day. And for you to be here, it's just ... it's an honor for me and my family."
Tillman attended a Douglasville house party Nov. 7, 2010 and was randomly attacked by four boys — Horace Damon Coleman, Quantez Devonta Mallory, Tracen Franklin and Emmanuel Boykins — who were ultimately convicted of his murder. They reportedly kicked, punched and stomped Tillman to death as he laid on the ground.
Under an agreement with the state, Boykins pled guilty to felony murder, and was sentenced to life in prison without the opportunity for parole after 30 years. Coleman, Franklin and Mallory were tried and convicted for malice murder and sentenced to life without parole.
“Bobby was everybody’s son and friend,” Fortner said at the ceremony, according to the Douglas County Sentinel. “He is everything that we want in this community. He leaves a legacy of love."
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