A Hampton man is among three people a Dougherty County grand jury indicted on May 13 in connection with a January beating that left 24-year-old Ricky Williams dead. Williams was brought to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital on Jan. 4 with severe head injuries and a stab wound to the neck and later died of those injuries. Prosecutors allege the attack was carried out as a gang initiation, and the indictments include felony murder and multiple gang-related counts.
Indictment details
On May 13 the Attorney General’s Gang Prosecution Unit presented evidence to a Dougherty County grand jury, which returned indictments against Konterrious Floyd (also known as "Dan the Man"), Levontay McDaniel (also known as "YBA Jit") and Kawaski Brantley (also known as "Hvncho Gotti"). Prosecutors charged each man with one count of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault. Floyd and McDaniel also face 10 counts under the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act and counts for illegal use of a communication device, while Brantley faces six gang-act counts, according to the office.
Those details, along with a copy of the indictment, are included in a press release from the Georgia Attorney General’s Office.
Alleged gang ties
State prosecutors say the suspects are members of the Inglewood Family Gangster Bloods, a set with roots in Inglewood, California, with local subsets that prosecutors say operate in Albany. The Attorney General’s Gang Prosecution Unit, which has a regional office in Albany, has worked with the Albany Police Department to secure nearly 20 convictions in Dougherty County tied to the same gang, according to prosecutors. That broader context was reported by WSB-TV.
How investigators say it unfolded
Albany police told local outlets that Williams was beaten on Jan. 4 in the 500 block of Pinson Road, then dropped off at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital with serious head injuries and a stab wound. He later died. A 17-year-old, Ka’Moree Jackson, was arrested shortly after the attack and charged with felony murder. Detectives continued investigating to identify additional suspects, which led to the May indictments. Those timeline details were reported by WALB.
What the charges carry
Felony murder is charged as murder under Georgia law and can carry a sentence up to life in prison. Prosecutors may seek enhanced penalties when they allege a crime was committed to benefit a criminal street gang. The Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act creates separate gang-related counts and allows certain gang evidence and penalties at trial.
See the Georgia code on the gang law at Justia and the murder statute at Justia for the statutory language.
What’s next
The Attorney General’s office said a copy of the indictment is posted on its website and that no further information about the investigation will be released at this time. Officials noted that indictments are allegations and that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Albany Police Chief Michael Persley called Williams’ death a "tragic and senseless loss," and both the Attorney General’s office and local police urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers or the Albany Police Department. Court dates were not included in the announcement from the Attorney General’s Office.
