A Decatur man has been handed a life sentence plus an additional 15 years for fatally shooting his neighbor after a heated quarrel over a bicycle placement, officials confirmed. Alphonso Watts, 53, was convicted on charges including malice murder and felony murder following the 2020 altercation with 35-year-old Darryl Halden, stated DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston in a Wednesday announcement, according to Atlanta News First.
Details from the prosecution reveal that on the evening of August 16, 2020, Watts and Halden clashed over a bicycle that Halden had left in the hallway of their apartment building, and there was a bizarre belief held by Watts that his neighbor was spying on him through a smoke detector. Responding officers, dispatched at approximately 7:40 p.m., discovered Halden by a dumpster, unresponsive and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; he was later pronounced dead at Grady Memorial Hospital, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Surveillance footage from the apartment complex placed Watts at the scene, and investigators saw him exiting the building just moments before Halden emerged carrying trash, Halden would not appear on camera again, but Watts was captured near the dumpster shortly after, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston disclosed in a statement. The jury heard from witnesses and reviewed evidence which led them to the guilty verdicts for Watts, who had a prior felony conviction and was found in possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Shondeana Morris imposed the sentence on Watts immediately following the jury's decision, a case that was spearheaded by the Homicide and Gangs Unit and prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorneys Kara Roberts and Helen Pott, with assistance from District Attorney Investigator J.B. Williams and Victim Advocate Kaysha Albritton; the initial investigation was headed by DeKalb County Police Department Det. Hoyt who managed to unravel the grim series of events leading to Halden's untimely demise.
