The Supreme Court of Georgia has upheld the felony murder conviction of Kendrick Tymond Green, one of three men found guilty of killing Donnell Graham on March 10, 2020, as he left work at the Popeye’s by Daniel Village.
Graham, 27, and Kenneth Green Jr., no relation, had a child with the same woman. Recently released from prison, Green Jr. recruited Kendrick Green, 15, and Tor’Jae Tanksley, 16, at Olmstead Homes to assist in killing Graham, prosecutors said at the time.
The defendants were tried together and a Richmond County jury found Green Jr. guilty of malice murder and Green and Tanksley guilty of felony murder on Oct. 26, 2023. Each was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus five years.
At trial, the defense emphasized the younger defendants’ difference in age from the Green Jr. Prosecutors said the men were local Bloods members.
On appeal, Kendrick Green argued the evidence against him was entirely circumstantial and did not exclude the possibility he had abandoned the plan to kill Graham.
The Supreme Court said the evidence was not wholly circumstantial because the jury had heard direct evidence, from the woman who served as driver, of Green admitting his involvement both before and after the killing.
