In the predawn hours of August 20, 2017, the quiet of a Montgomery, Alabama neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunfire. When Montgomery Police Department officers and Fire Medics arrived at the 1200 block of Bragg Street at approximately 3:30 a.m., they found 23-year-old Marcus Cooley, an African American male, deceased from a gunshot wound. Investigators determined that the fatal shot had been fired into the residence from outside.
The initial investigation pointed to the shooting being drug-related.
The day following the discovery of Cooley's body, a suspect identified as 29-year-old Curtis Kari London, also of Montgomery, surrendered to the authorities. He was subsequently charged with capital murder in connection with Cooley's death and was held without bond at the Montgomery County Detention Facility. Friends and family remembered Marcus Cooley, affectionately known as 'LeeLee,' as a caring and loving father of three children.
The tragedy for the Cooley family would not end there. Marcus Cooley had been slated to testify in a criminal case against the brother of a man named Josephus Boone. Just two months after Marcus's murder, his brother, Kelvin Cooley, also became a victim of gun violence. On October 23, 2017, shortly after testifying in that very case, Kelvin Cooley was shot and killed outside the Montgomery County Courthouse. Josephus Boone was later convicted and sentenced to life without parole for Kelvin Cooley's murder. While law enforcement deemed Marcus Cooley's death to be a seemingly unrelated drug incident, the violent deaths of both brothers in such a short period marked a profound loss for their family and community. As of the latest available information, Curtis Kari London remained in custody, charged with the capital murder of Marcus Cooley, with no further public details regarding the outcome of his trial.
