Tuesday, November 14, 2023

State v. Asa Seeley

Decatur, Ga.- DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces a conviction by jury trial in the case of an Atlanta man accused of shooting and killing a man inside a Stone Mountain motel. 

On November 9, a jury found Asa Seeley, 40, guilty on charges of Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Marijuana stemming from an incident on September 19, 2021. 

According to the investigation, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department responded to a motel on Memorial Drive around 10 p.m. after a call about a person shot.  Investigators found the victim, James Morton, Jr., 50, deceased in the hallway with multiple bullet wounds in his back. 

A motel employee provided police with surveillance video of the interaction between Morton and Defendant Seeley.  In the video, Morton was seen walking down the hallway to Defendant Seeley’s motel room.  Morton shook hands with someone inside the room and began to walk away, but then the video showed Defendant Seeley exit the room and stop Morton. 

The two appeared to have a verbal altercation and Defendant Seeley pulled out a gun and pointed it at Morton, who was unarmed.  Morton tried to back away from Defendant Seeley.  Less than a minute later, Defendant Seeley started to shoot at Morton.  Morton ran around a corner towards the motel elevator to escape, but Defendant Seeley followed and fired shots into Morton’s back. 

Defendant Seeley briefly went back to his room before leaving the motel in a gold Acura. 

The next day officers with the Chamblee Police Department arrested Defendant Seely as he was driving the same Acura and wearing the same clothing as he was in the surveillance video.  Investigators searched the vehicle and found a rental agreement for the motel room, as well as several plastic bags of drugs. 

Immediately following the conviction, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Shondeana Morris, who presided over the trial, sentenced Defendant Seeley to life without parole plus 35 years.    

The case, assigned to the Homicide and Gangs Unit, was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Amy Ferguson with assistance from Senior ADA Elyce Loutzenhiser, DA Investigator Shaun Hector, DA Investigator Julian Brim, and Victim Advocate Jozlyn Varnadoe.  Inv. Brim led the initial investigation when he was a detective with the DeKalb County Police Department.