A DeKalb County judge sentenced a 31-year-old woman to life in prison Friday after a jury convicted her of murder for shooting her mother’s boyfriend inside a moving car.
Quenisha Poole, 31, was found guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault, and other charges following a jury trial that ended Thursday.
The conviction stems from the death of 45-year-old Erick Smith. Prosecutors said Poole, Smith, and Smith’s girlfriend spent the afternoon drinking and arguing at an apartment on Jan. 12, 2024. Later that evening, a driver agreed to give the group a ride to another location. While Smith and his girlfriend were arguing in the car, Poole pulled a gun and shot Smith in the neck.
The driver took Smith to the Emory Hillandale Hospital emergency room and left him there before taking Poole and her mother home. Smith died from his injuries three days later.
Poole was not arrested until May 31, 2024, when the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit caught up with her.
Police said she spent several months hiding from authorities before she was taken into custody without incident.
She has remained in the DeKalb County Jail without bond since her capture.
DeKalb County Superior Court Chief Judge Shondeana C. Morris sentenced Poole to life in prison with the possibility of parole, plus an additional five years.
