In the early morning hours of October 10, 2016, a sequence of events unfolded in a Clarkston, Georgia townhome that would end in the death of 32-year-old Curtis Bernard Turner. An African American man, Turner, in the company of two other individuals, forced his way into a residence on Parklane Drive, near the Clarkston campus of Georgia State University's Perimeter College. The attempted home invasion quickly escalated, and an occupant of the home shot Turner.
Following the incident, Turner was found deceased inside the townhome. The two men who accompanied Turner during the home invasion, identified as 27-year-old Benjamin J. Florence of Stone Mountain and 21-year-old Tyler Alexander Brown of Smyrna, were subsequently arrested. Both men were taken into custody and held at the DeKalb County Jail.
Authorities charged both Florence and Brown with felony murder. Under Georgia law, this charge can be applied when someone dies during the commission of a felony, such as a home invasion, regardless of whether the accused directly caused the death. The basis for the charges against Florence and Brown was that their participation in the home invasion directly led to the circumstances that caused Turner's death. At the time of their arrest, it was still under investigation whether the resident who shot Turner would face any charges.
