Hearing continued for 16-year-old murder suspect in Columbus shooting

The preliminary hearing for the 16-year-old murder suspect charged as an adult in the deadly Columbus shooting near Young Avenue was continued until next week.

He appeared in Columbus Recorder’s Court early Thursday to face one count of murder. The hearing was continued until 9 a.m. Tuesday after his mother said she retained Stacey Jackson, who wasn’t in court, as an attorney.

Columbus police were called to the intersection of 41st Street and Young Avenue around 1:55 a.m. Oct. 24 to investigate a shooting. They found 19-year-old Dieondre Murphy suffering from a gunshot wound.

He was transported to Columbus Midtown Medical Center, where Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan pronounced him dead at 4:04 a.m.

Three days after his death, 23-year-old Lorena Ellen Coleman pleaded not guilty in Columbus Recorder’s Court to giving false statements about the shooting.

Cpl. Kelly Phillips said witnesses indicated that Coleman was in the bedroom where the shots were fired. She initially told detectives that she was in her room alone when she heard gunfire and then ran to the front room, according to police.

Authorities said Coleman later changed her statement and said that others may have been in her bedroom with her when shots rang out in another room. She allegedly changed her statement a third time and reported that shots were fired in her bedroom, but she wasn’t in there at the time.

Officials have yet to release any more details about the homicide.

Anyone with information about Murphy’s death is encouraged to call Sgt. Joseph Hart at 706-225-4375 or josephhart@columbusga.org.

This story was originally published November 9, 2017 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Hearing continued for 16-year-old murder suspect in Columbus shooting."