In the spring of 2014, a tragic and violent series of events unfolded in Dekalb, GA, culminating in the death of Alexis Malone, a 17-year-old female. Her body was discovered on Agape Way in Decatur on May 10, 2014. Investigators determined that she had been lured to a park and brutally killed because she had witnessed a murder that occurred at a party a week earlier, on May 3.
The cause of her death was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds and blunt force trauma to her face from a brick.
The investigation into Malone's death quickly led to the identification of four suspects: Oslusha Smith, Cutrez Johnson, Kemontay Cullins, and Kayla Dixon. According to police, Dixon convinced Malone to go to the park with Smith, Johnson, and Cullins, knowing that they intended to kill her to prevent her from talking to the police about the earlier murder of Michael Phillips. All four were subsequently arrested and faced charges related to Malone's death. The crime was connected to the Bloods street gang.
The legal proceedings brought a measure of justice for Alexis Malone's murder. Oslusha Smith was convicted for his role in both Malone's and Phillips's deaths and was sentenced to life in prison plus 40 years. Kemontay Cullins was found guilty of murder and gang-membership charges. Kayla Dixon entered into a plea agreement for voluntary manslaughter and gang charges. Cutrez Johnson, who was 16 at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced to serve 15 years of a 20-year sentence.
The violence did not end with Malone's death. In an act of retaliation for her murder, a group of individuals carried out a home invasion that resulted in the tragic death of a 9-month-old boy and the critical injury of three women. This further highlighted the devastating and far-reaching consequences of the initial crimes.
