Two men found guilty in 2022 murder of man near Atlanta Beltline

Arnold had just had dinner with friends and was walking home that evening, prosecutors said at trial. His body was found by a jogger the following morning.

“The evidence shows beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Williams and Mr. Ross are guilty and with a guilty verdict, you are not telling them anything that they don’t already know,” lead prosecutor Kelcee Jones Connor told jurors during closing arguments Wednesday.

Williams was first arrested by Atlanta Police less than a month after the fatal shooting. Police continued looking for Ross, who was arrested days later, and a third suspect after surveillance footage showed three men near the area where Arnold was found just moments before the shooting.

The third man was never arrested and is now deceased. Prosecutors said the three men were walking through the Inman Park streets when they came upon Arnold and shot him as they tried to rob him.

Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office

The defense pointed to the third suspect as the killer as they poked holes in the prosecution’s case, calling the investigation sloppy, rushed and based on unreliable witnesses. The man, Ahmir Rosario, was killed in a shooting at a DeKalb County gas station in May 2022.

When someone is killed, “you want to punish (someone),” Williams’ attorney, public defender Michael Norman, told the jury.

“But Karma, the universe – whatever you want to call it – already happened,” he said. “Ahmir is dead, killed in a shootout. You can’t punish him, and you can’t punish Brandon Williams in his place.”

Defense attorneys argued that the killing could not have stemmed from an attempted robbery, noting that Arnold’s high-value luxury watch was still on his wrist and his wallet still in his pocket. They said there were no other signs of an attempt to rob.

A month before the shooting, Williams had been released from state prison after serving three years of a 10-year sentence for burglary in Clayton County, according to prison records. He was to serve the remaining seven years of his sentence on probation, county records show.

Defense attorneys also argued that one of the key witnesses only came forward after a $35,000 award was announced.

Norman also dismissed the text messages sent to a woman allegedly by Williams bragging about being featured on the news as his client being excited to be on TV. He did not deny the texts were sent nor that his client is in the security camera still released by police.

Williams was there, but he did not pull the trigger, and he did not enable the shooter or participate in a crime that spurred the shooting, Norman said.

Jones-Connor said the defense wants to blame the deceased Rosario for Arnold’s death, “yet, Brandon Williams knew all of the specific details” about the murder.

“They want to distract you from seeking the truth of what happened on February 25, 2022, that’s what this comes down to, but your common sense is the greatest tool,” Jones-Connor told jurors.

Credit: Steve Schaefer

Credit: Steve Schaefer

Arnold’s family and friends called his death a “profound loss,” describing him as an active member of the Inman Park community where he lived for 20 years. He had a “legendary” love for dogs, even having a few and often volunteering to board and train friends’ and neighbor’s dogs, which earned him the nickname of “the dog whisperer,” according to his obituary.

“This is a crime that they wanted you to forget but it is a crime that you cannot forget. Not here, not in Fulton County,” Jones-Connor said to jurors.