Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced his office's intent to seek the death penalty in the murder case against Ezekiel Kelly, who is accused of driving around Memphis and shooting people at random, reported the Commercial Appeal.
The announcement is the first time Mulroy has filed
for the death penalty since he
was elected to the office in August 2022. Mulroy has been a long-standing
opponent of the death penalty.
"I've made no secret of my personal opposition
to the death penalty as a public policy matter," Mulroy said at a Monday
morning press conference. "Like I've said before, as a legislator, I'd
vote against it. But I think that the people that voted for me understand that
a DA has to follow the law, whether they agree with it or not... If this case
isn't death notice worthy, then no case is."
Kelly,
19, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, along with
23 additional charges. The Sept. 7 shooting spree left three additional people
injured.
Officials say Kelly started his shooting spree in
the early hours of the day, when he allegedly shot and killed Dewayne
"Sosa" Tunstall, a Memphis resident, before allegedly
killing Allison
Parker, a nurse in West Memphis, Arkansas, and Richard
Clark, a 62-year-old who police say was shot as he sat in his car outside a
gas station.
Mulroy said four factors affected the decision to
pursue the death penalty. He cited a previous aggravated assault conviction,
along with alleging Kelly committed "mass murder" during the spree.
Mulroy also said the murders were "committed in the course of an act of
terrorism," and his fourth factor was the randomness of the shooting.
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