Defendant pleads guilty in Porterdale Bar and Grill shooting after hung jury last week.

William Kadeem Brown pleaded guilty today to Voluntary Manslaughter and Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony for the shooting death of Kyle Fowler. The charges stem from an incident on July 27, 2024 at the Porterdale Bar and Grill that culminated in Brown fatally shooting Fowler. 

Kyle Fowler

Last week, starting on March 23, the case proceeded to a jury trial. The State presented evidence to show and argued that Brown’s actions constituted murder. The State also argued that Brown’s actions were not justified and if it was not murder, then it was voluntary manslaughter. The defense argued that Brown’s actions were justified as self-defense and/or defense of others.

After hours of deliberation over two days, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict and a mistrial was declared on Friday, March 27, due to a hung jury. The attorneys were able to speak to many of the jurors to understand their thoughts of the evidence and the legal arguments. The State and defense continued to discuss and negotiate the case. 

This morning, the Defendant pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and the firearm offense in a non-negotiated plea, which means both sides argue what they believe is an appropriate sentence with the Court ultimately deciding the sentence. The State argued for a sentence of 20 years in prison followed by 5 years on probation while the defense argued for a sentence of 25 years to serve the first 7 in prison. 

The Judge, who had sat through the entire trial, also heard victim impact statements from Fowler’s family and heard from Mr. Brown. After considering all the facts and circumstances, the Court sentenced the Defendant to 15 years in prison followed by 10 years on probation along with numerous special conditions of probation. 

William Brown

The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Amber Dally, Trial Assistant Ellen Bales, Investigator Josh Shumate, Senior Victim Advocate Shay Payne, Victim Advocate Gabriela Arredondo, and Senior Legal Assistant Cindi Hendrix. The investigation and arrest were handled by the Newton County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Porterdale Police Department and the GBI crime lab. 

 Mixing guns and a needless escalation of an argument has led to the loss of Kyle Fowler’s life and numerous years in prison for Mr. Brown. I hope this serves as a reminder that anger and split-second bad decisions can lead to horrible and tragic consequences. 

I want to thank the prosecution team for their hard work and dedication as well as our law enforcement partners involved in the case. 

DA Randy McGinley