Two young men received lengthy prison sentences last week after admitting to shooting and beating a 56-year-old man on Ga. Highway 138 in north Fayette County May 12, prosecutors said.
Asher Dorsey, 17, of Cedar Hill Drive, Riverdale, was sentenced to 40 years in prison, and Dwayne Alfonzo Roberts, 19, of Ocee Drive, Riverdale, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the various charges, said Fayette County Assistant District Attorney Robert Smith.
Superior Court Judge Christopher C. Edwards asked Dorsey why the duo committed the crime. Dorsey replied that his co-defendant, Roberts, was bored, Smith noted.
A witness told sheriff’s detectives that he saw the two suspects immediately after the assault, and they were “laughing hysterically” said sheriff’s Detective Brent Rowan.
The victim was walking for fitness on his way home from work when he was accosted by Dorsey and Roberts, Smith said. A good samaritan interrupted the assault, and several witnesses ultimately came forward to identify Dorsey and Roberts as the assailants, Smith noted.
The bullet traveled through at least four of the victim’s organs, Smith said, noting that the victim’s medical bills eclipsed $750,000 and he still faces more medical procedures.
“For a long time there, we thought this was going to be a murder case,” Det. Rowan said.
The victim was also struck multiple times during the assault, sheriff’s officials said.
“But for the actions of a good samaritan who interrupted the assault, and the skills of the surgeons that helped, this would have been a murder case,” Smith said.
The suspects got away with a small amount of cash and the victim’s backpack which had some clothing in it, Smith said. Some of the victim’s personal belongings were also recovered during the course of the investigation, some of which were left behind the Autozone on Ga. Highway 314 and others found at a residence in Clayton County, Rowan said.
The community’s help in solving the case was quite heartening, Smith said.
“It’s one of those cases that kind of restores your faith in humanity,” Smith said. “It helps when you have citizens who are willing to step up and when you’ve got detectives that are committed to working as hard as they can to get these cases taken care of,” Smith said.
The prosecutor credited Rowan and added that most if not all members of the sheriff’s office worked the case.
