BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP)—Three men have
received life sentences for a brutal 2004
attack on an Atlanta man and his wife that
prompted the island to become a gated
community with limited access.
Aqeel Ahmad Bradley, 19, Antwuane
Quartezz Grovner, 18, and Tawone Ramon
Sapp, 18, pleaded guilty to multiple charges
that included aggravated sodomy in the
Sept. 4, 2004 home invasion.
The home invasion panicked many
residents of Sea Island, a wealthy enclave
where violent crimes are infrequent.
After the island became a gated community,
The Sea Island Co., which has its
own security force, negotiated a deal with
Glynn County to take over the island's
roads and infrastructure.
Superior Court Judge Stephen Scarlett
sentenced Grovner on Friday to three
consecutive life prison terms with eligibility
for parole, plus additional prison
terms totaling 40 years. Sapp received a
similar sentence on Wednesday.
Both men pleaded guilty to rape,
aggravated sodomy, armed robbery,
aggravated assault, false imprisonment
and two counts of burglary, according to
court records.
On Feb. 13, Bradley was sentenced
to two consecutive life prison terms with
eligibility for parole, plus an additional
20 years. He pleaded guilty to aggravated
sodomy, kidnapping with bodily injury
and armed robbery, according to court
records.
District Attorney Stephen Kelley said
prosecutors made the plea bargain to
spare the victims the trauma of reliving
the “tortuous attack” by testifying about it
during the men’s trials. The plea bargain
will ensure that the men will spend most
of their lives in prison, Kelley said.
The victims—then 53 years old—
were attacked shortly after 3:30 a.m. as
they slept. They were bound with duct
tape and separated. The woman was sexually
assaulted and beaten while her husband
was struck with a handgun and
beaten, according to Glynn County police.
The three teenagers were arrested
the next day while trying to hide in sand
dunes on the island.
A Florida Times-Union newspaper
carrier told police about three people
acting suspiciously near the victims'
home about the time of the attack, investigators
previously said.
Source: AP - AP Wire Service
Information from: The Florida
Times-Union
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