A Covington teenager who snuck up on a group of youths behind public housing and gunned down a 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to life in prison, authorities said.
The shooting, an ambush-style attack on July 31, 2023, left 15-year-old Larry Simmons dead after he was struck multiple times behind housing authority properties near Nixon Circle and Johnson Drive.
Plea and Sentence
Dameko Tyrekies Boswell, who was 16 at the time of the deadly ambush, admitted his role in court on Thursday. He entered guilty pleas to multiple counts, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and theft by receiving stolen property, according to a press release from the Office of the District Attorney for the Alcovy Judicial Circuit.
A judge handed down a life sentence, with Boswell eligible for parole only after he has served 30 years, the district attorney’s office said. Prosecutors noted that the plea locks in a lengthy sentence while sparing Simmons’ family the uncertainty of a trial.
How Investigators Tied Him To The Ambush
Surveillance cameras on nearby housing authority property captured much of the attack, showing a gunman creeping up behind a group and firing at least four times. Investigators said Simmons was shot three times in the back and later pronounced dead.
That same night, officers recovered a handgun that had been reported stolen in a vehicle break-in. Testing at the GBI Crime Lab later linked Boswell’s DNA to the weapon, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
Prosecutors' Remarks
District Attorney Randy McGinley called the case “yet another case of youth gun violence leading to terrible consequences” and said the guilty plea means Simmons’ family will not have to relive the shooting in a courtroom.
McGinley also urged parents to pay close attention to where their kids are late at night and what they are seeing and doing on social media, a point he emphasized in comments reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
What's Next
Under the terms outlined by prosecutors, Boswell cannot be considered for parole until he has served at least 30 years, according to the Office of the District Attorney for the Alcovy Judicial Circuit. The plea also canceled a trial that had been set for the week of July 13.
The district attorney’s office credited investigators and victim advocates who worked the case and said the resolution provides the Simmons family with a measure of closure, even if it cannot undo the loss.
