In the late afternoon of a Wednesday in September 2015, a dispute in Acworth, Georgia, escalated into a fatal encounter. Douglas Bradley Eriquezzo, a 43-year-old male, was shot and killed on September 16, 2015, following a heated argument. The incident occurred in the parking lot of an automotive shop on Bells Ferry Road where Eriquezzo, a mechanic, was working.
The altercation was with Alexander Demar Walkine, a 28-year-old man from Tampa, Florida. According to witnesses, the verbal disagreement intensified, leading Walkine to retrieve a. 45 caliber handgun from his vehicle. He then fired at Eriquezzo, striking him twice. Tragically, Walkine's two young children, a six-year-old and a five-month-old, were inside his car at the time of the shooting. Emergency services were called to the scene, and Eriquezzo was transported to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Law enforcement arrived and took Walkine into custody without incident. In December 2015, a Cherokee County grand jury indicted him on multiple charges, including felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and two counts of third-degree cruelty to children. Walkine was held at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center without bond while awaiting trial.
The legal proceedings that followed took a surprising turn. In April 2017, a jury heard the case against Alexander Demar Walkine. After deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on all charges, acquitting him of the murder of Douglas Bradley Eriquezzo.
