A Stone Mountain man has been handed a lengthy prison sentence for an armed robbery committed in collaboration with his twin brother and another co-defendant. Donnell Reed, 30, was sentenced to serve 35 years behind bars, in addition to 10 years on probation, according to the FOX 5 Atlanta.
The DeKalb County Superior Court Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson decided to firmly deliver justice on Friday, delivering a combined total of 45 years of sentence to Donnell Reed. Charged with Armed Robbery, Aggravated Assault, False Imprisonment, and Possession of a Firearm by a First Offender Probationer, Reed's sentencing follows guilty verdicts for all three co-defendants returned on Jan. 29. As the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office reported that Donnell's twin, Darnell Reed, also faced a stiff sentence of 30 years, with the expectation to serve 20 in confinement.
Christin Scales, 24, from Atlanta, received a 15-year sentence with a decade to be spent in confinement for her role in the armed robbery. The sentencing took place after a significant court trial that scrutinized the events of Oct 6, 2021. On that early morning, the victim met with Scales after arranging plans online, only to be violently accosted by the Reed brothers, both armed and threatening.
While attempting to flee from the grim scenario that had unfolded at the Parkview Court in Stone Mountain, the victim struggled and managed to wound Darnell Reed before being shot in the back himself. Surveillance footage and subsequent law enforcement efforts eventually directed authorities to the culprits. Donnell Reed, in an attempt to possibly deflect detectives, placed a 911 call even as Darnell Reed offered conflicting explanations for his injuries received during the altercation.
The detailed investigation and prosecution of the case were led by Senior Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Tarver, supported by a team including Assistant District Attorney Li Sapp and District Attorney Investigator Jose Berrones, as indicated in statements obtained by both FOX 5 Atlanta and the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office. The victim, having survived the harrowing ordeal, was crucial in identifying Scales and Donnell Reed from a photo line-up, paving the way for justice to be aptly served.
