In the early morning hours of July 16, 2017, a day that should have been filled with celebration, turned into a tragedy for Deante Benton, a 29-year-old father of four from Atlanta, Georgia. Benton, who had just celebrated his birthday on Saturday, was returning home from a movie outing when his life was cut short. The fatal encounter unfolded around 2:40 a.m. outside an apartment complex on Bent Creek Way in southwest Atlanta.
An argument escalated into gunfire, and Benton was shot multiple times, sustaining wounds to his head and torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Another man, who was 57 years old at the time, was also shot in the legs during the incident but survived.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led Atlanta police to identify a person of interest. Based on witness interviews, investigators began searching for Mariol Rawls. Authorities believed that Rawls had also been injured during the altercation, sustaining a significant gunshot wound to the stomach. A vehicle seen leaving the scene was recovered by police and processed for evidence. After a month-long search, the United States Marshals Service apprehended Rawls on August 17, 2017, at a residence in Marion, South Carolina. He was subsequently extradited to Georgia to face charges in connection with Benton's death.
Mariol Rawls was charged with murder, aggravated assault, and weapons offenses. He remained in the Fulton County jail as the legal process moved forward. In a development that brought a measure of closure to Benton's grieving family, Rawls pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault, among other charges, on the day his trial was set to begin in December 2018. The plea came as a surprise to Benton's mother and aunt, who expressed their frustration at not being notified sooner about the trial date by the Fulton County District Attorney's Office. The District Attorney, Paul Howard, personally apologized to the family for the oversight. Rawls' sentencing was scheduled for January of the following year.
