In the early morning hours of November 3, 2015, 20-year-old Antonio McBride was walking home from a music studio in Atlanta, Georgia. His path took him along Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, a journey that tragically became his last. Unbeknownst to McBride, two men, Gerrod Shequille Crawford and Kahreek Flowers, were in the area with the intent to commit a robbery. Their initial plan to rob a drug dealer was abandoned when they discovered their target was armed.
It was then that they turned their attention to McBride, a random and vulnerable target.
The two men confronted McBride, demanding money and a phone. A witness to the tragic encounter heard McBride's desperate pleas, 'I ain't got it, I ain't got it.' Frustrated that their intended victim had no valuables to offer, Crawford and Flowers brutally beat and kicked McBride until he fell to the ground. Flowers then fired a gun multiple times, striking McBride in the back, buttock, and face. Antonio McBride was found in some bushes at approximately 4:30 a.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the senseless murder of Antonio McBride initially faced challenges, with police seeking the public's help in identifying a white Lincoln Town Car seen in the area and as many as five potential suspects. The case gained further attention when it was featured on the true-crime television series 'ATL Homicide,' which recounted the efforts of Atlanta Police Department detectives to solve the cold case. A crucial breakthrough came when a tip led investigators to Kahreek Flowers.
In December 2016, Kahreek Flowers pleaded guilty to the murder of Antonio McBride. His accomplice, Gerrod Shequille Crawford, was tried in March 2018. During the trial, a witness testified to seeing both men chasing McBride just before the fatal shots were fired. The jury found Crawford not guilty of malice murder but convicted him of felony murder, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was sentenced to life in prison for felony murder. Crawford later appealed his conviction, but the Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the trial court's decision in September 2021.
