In the coastal city of Brunswick, Georgia, a heart-wrenching story unfolded on March 21, 2013, with the death of 13-month-old Antonio Santiago. The young male was in his stroller, being pushed by his mother, Sherry West, when they were approached by two teenagers in an attempted robbery. When West explained that she had no money to give them, one of the teens, after threatening the baby, fired a. 22-caliber handgun.
West was struck in the leg, and a separate shot hit her sleeping child, Antonio, between the eyes.
The investigation into the senseless act quickly moved forward. An anonymous tip led Brunswick police to 15-year-old Dominique Lang on March 22. Lang was cooperative and implicated 17-year-old De'Marquise Elkins as the shooter. West later identified Elkins from a lineup of 24 mugshots. A grand jury indicted Elkins on 11 counts, including malice murder, and Lang on seven counts, including felony murder.
The legal proceedings brought some measure of justice for Antonio's death. Due to extensive local publicity, the trial for De'Marquise Elkins was moved to Marietta, Georgia, more than 300 miles away. In August 2013, a jury found Elkins guilty on all 11 counts. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 125 years for other crimes. Dominique Lang pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery and received a sentence of two years in prison followed by eight years of probation.
Several of Elkins' family members were also held accountable for their actions following the murder. His mother, Karimah Elkins, was convicted of tampering with evidence for helping to dispose of the murder weapon and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Elkins' aunt, Katrina Elkins, and his sister, Sabrina Elkins, also faced charges related to their attempts to cover up the crime. Katrina was charged with making a false statement, while Sabrina pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence.
