In the summer of 2020, a dispute between neighbors in a Decatur, Georgia, apartment complex escalated to a fatal conclusion. On the evening of August 16, 35-year-old Darryl Halden was found unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds near a dumpster at his apartment building on Friendly Heights Boulevard. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into Halden's death quickly focused on his downstairs neighbor, 53-year-old Alphonso Watts.
Surveillance footage from the apartment complex captured Watts leaving the building at approximately 7:31 p.m. Moments later, Halden was seen exiting with two bags of trash. Watts was then recorded leaving the dumpster area around 7:33 p.m. Halden was not seen on camera again.
Interviews with other residents revealed a history of conflict between the two men. Witnesses reported that Watts had been upset with Halden for storing his bicycle in the building's hallway. The dispute was compounded by Watts' paranoid belief that Halden was spying on him through a smoke detector in his apartment. During a police interview, Watts himself admitted to believing that someone was watching him through his smoke detectors.
Alphonso Watts was subsequently arrested and charged in connection with Darryl Halden's murder. Following a jury trial, he was found guilty of Malice Murder, two counts of Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. A DeKalb County Superior Court Judge sentenced Watts to life in prison plus an additional 15 years.
