Man acquitted of murder
A jury deliberated several hours Thursday before finding an Augusta man not guilty of murder in a fatal shooting that occurred after a Sunday afternoon basketball game at a city park.
The Richmond County Superior Court acquitted Tyedon D. Burton, 27, who had pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
On Sept. 17, 2017, Burton shot and killed 22-year-old Malcolm “Mac” Quarterman in the Big Oak Park on Wheeler Road, both sides agreed. Burton and Quarterman had gotten into a scuffle on the basketball court and, after the game ended, Quarterman approached Burton and punched him.
Quarterman hit Burton so hard he broke and cracked bones that required surgery, defense attorney Ashanti Lilley told the jury. Burton was backing up but Quarterman kept advancing, kept punching and Burton fired two shots in self defense, Lilley said. Burton testified in his own defense this week, telling the jury that he was in fear for his life because of Quarterman's friends, particularly Anthony Butler.
Butler, 22, is charged with aggravated assault, theft, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and 10 counts of violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. He is accused of shooting at Burton with a stolen 9 mm after Quarterman was shot.
Quarterman died the day after being shot, Assistant District Attorney McKenzie Gray told the jury earlier this week. The gun used to kill him was never found, she said.
Several times during the trial, the jury watched a video recorded on a surveillance video camera at a nearby restaurant. Although there was no sound, the video caught the confrontation and the shooting.
Although acquitted, Burton will remain in jail pending the disposition of other criminal charges. He is charged with interference with government property for allegedly damaging a TV in a jail day room when he punched it March 15, 2018. He is charged with battery for allegedly punching another inmate May 9, 2018, and with obstruction of an officer for allegedly hitting a deputy July 8, 2018.
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