Crime & Safety

Conviction in Deadly Sandy Springs Shootout Case

Sergeant F. Trammer of the Sandy Springs Police Department led the initial investigation in the 2009 case.

 

From the Office of the Fulton County District Attorney

The last two men to stand trial for a deadly shootout that claimed two lives in Sandy Springs have been convicted. Jurors on last Thursday returned guilty verdicts against James Platt and Jarrett Dixon on multiple charges related to the September 2009 deaths of Antonio Clark and Santos Palacios-Vasquez.  The victims were casualties of a drug deal gone bad.

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Defendants Platt and Dixon were part of a group of men who arranged to buy a large amount of cocaine from another group of men. In reality, the “buyers” did not intend to pay for drugs but to rob the sellers. The “sellers,” in turn, intended to sell fake drugs.

When each group realized they were being scammed by the other, a shootout ensued in the Sandy Springs apartment where one of the gunmen (previously convicted) lived.

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At least four different guns were used to fire a total of thirty-two rounds. Antonio Clark, one of the “buyers”, and Santos Palacios-Vasquez, one of the “sellers,” were killed in the crossfire. Several men from each group were also injured in the melee.

Defendant Dixon, who was treated at a local hospital for his injuries, offered a bogus story about being robbed in East Atlanta when questioned by authorities. After an extensive investigation, Detectives uncovered the truth and eventually arrested seven men in connection with the crime.

In March of 2010, Delman Higuera-Hernandez and Rogelio Higuera-Guiterrez were convicted of murder and voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to life in prison. Jose Renteria-Diaz and Juan Maldonado-Cervantes pled guilty to Conspiracy to Traffick Cocaine and related gun charges. Another man, identified as Antonio Lara-Landero, accused of brokering the drug deal on behalf of the sellers remains at large. Investigators believe he fled to his native Mexico and may in fact be deceased.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams presided over this week’s trial of James Platt and Jarrett Dixon.  Dixon was sentenced to life plus 35-years in prison after being convicted of murder, voluntary manslaughter and weapons charges. James Platt, convicted of voluntary manslaughter for both victims, was sentenced to 45-years in prison.

The case was prosecuted by Chief Senior Assistant District Attorney Pete Johnson with assistance from Senior Assistant District Attorney Paul Arena-Camarillo and Senior DA Investigator Vance Williams. Sergeant F. Trammer of the Sandy Springs Police Department led the initial investigation


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