Judge sets trial date for alleged gang murder at Peachtree Mall

Three alleged gang members accused of a vengeance killing last year at Columbus’ Peachtree Mall will go to trial April 17 after a motions hearing Thursday in Muscogee County Superior Court.

Accused in the March 26, 2016, fatal shooting of 24-year-old Anthony Meredith are alleged triggerman Xzavien Jones, 19; his sister, Tekoa Young, 24; and Terell McFarland, 26.

Each faces charges of murder, aggravated assault and gang membership. Jones also is charged with using a firearm to commit a crime.

Authorities say Young acted as a scout who trailed Meredith at the 3131 Manchester Expressway mall before contacting the two men, who met her there before Jones gunned down Meredith near the food court at 7:28 p.m. Meredith was pronounced dead at 8:05 p.m. at Midtown Medical Center.

Police say the three suspects are in the Crips street gang, and they conspired to kill Meredith because they blamed him for the Nov. 21, 2015, fatal shooting of Christopher Twitty in Twitty’s home on Columbus’ Wickham Drive. Twitty, also a Crip, was the father of Young’s child, investigators said.

Though previous reports said Meredith that Saturday was shopping for Easter clothes for a 3-year-old daughter, a prosecutor Thursday said that account was inaccurate, and the child was not with him at the time.

Though McFarland and Young denied being at the mall that day, both were captured on surveillance video, authorities said.

Killed on camera

“This execution is on video,” Chief Assistant District Attorney Al Whitaker told Judge Frank Jordan Jr. during Thursday’s hearing.

But attorneys argued over which witnesses could identify the defendants from the video, and whether prosecutors could justify accusing two of the suspects of violating Georgia’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.

William Kendrick, who represents Young, and Nancy Miller, McFarland’s attorney, both moved to have that charge eliminated for their clients, arguing prosecutors could not substantiate it, and it would only prejudice the jury.

Kendrick noted police didn’t charge Young with gang activity, yet she was indicted for it later. If the accusation is based solely on her being Jones’ sibling and the mother of Twitty’s child, then anyone in her family similarly could be charged with no other evidence, he said.

“When you say somebody’s in a gang, it means something to a jury,” he said.

Whitaker said evidence of gang membership would come from witnesses’ “first-hand knowledge” and not from hearsay.

Testimony proffered

Another issue was prosecutors’ establishing that Jones and McFarland were close friends, with attorneys arguing whether a Hardaway High School principal who knew both men could testify to that.

Jordan resolved most of those matters by telling prosecutors to make a “proffer” of such testimony, which means the witnesses first would testify without the jury present so the judge could decide whether the evidence would be admissible.

According to investigators, mall surveillance video showed Young arriving there around 7:15 p.m., and pacing back and forth as she spied on Meredith before meeting Jones and McFarland, after which they walked to the food court together to ambush their target.

A detective testifying during Young’s May 27 preliminary hearing in Columbus Recorder’s Court said Jones continued to shoot Meredith even after the victim fell to the floor.

“On the food court camera, you then see the victim whirling on the ground as Xzavaien Jones steps toward the victim, apparently firing into the victim as he is lying and rolling on the ground,” the detective said. “All three suspects are seen running from the scene.”

Whitaker in another court hearing said the two men fled in a different car than Young, and almost hit a pedestrian as they sped away. Young later called them to ask whether they were OK, he said.

This story was originally published April 6, 2017 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Judge sets trial date for alleged gang murder at Peachtree Mall."