On a tragic evening in Atlanta, Georgia, the lives of a brother and sister were cut short in a burst of gunfire. Thirty-five-year-old Cedrika Smith and her twenty-five-year-old brother, Robert Bankston Jr., were found shot to death inside a vehicle on Sells Avenue in the southwestern part of the city on August 20, 2021. The double homicide, which authorities quickly determined was not a random act, sent shockwaves through their community and left a family grappling with an immense loss.
Investigators at the scene swiftly detained a man, who was later identified as thirty-five-year-old LaMorris Willie Godfrey. It was soon revealed that Godfrey was Cedrika Smith's boyfriend. The preliminary investigation suggested that a dispute between Godfrey and the siblings escalated to the fatal shooting. The targeted nature of the attack was immediately apparent to law enforcement, who began to piece together the events that led to the deadly confrontation.
In the aftermath of the killings, LaMorris Willie Godfrey was arrested and faced a series of serious charges, including two counts of murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. As the case moved through the legal system, the full extent of the tragedy and the circumstances surrounding it came to light.
Ultimately, justice was served in a Fulton County courtroom. LaMorris Willie Godfrey was found guilty on all counts related to the murders of Cedrika Smith and Robert Bankston Jr. Following his conviction for felony murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a judge handed down a severe sentence. Godfrey was ordered to serve two consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole, with an additional twenty years tacked on. The sentence ensured that the man responsible for the deaths of the beloved siblings would spend the rest of his life behind bars.
