Guilty Plea in July 2023 Murder in Housing Authority:

This morning, Dameko Tyrekies Boswell pleaded guilty to numerous charges including the murder of Larry Simmons. At the time, Boswell was 16 years old and Simmons was 15 years old.

On July 31, 2023, at approximately 1 am, Simmons and two other young men were walking in the area of Nixon Circle and Johnson Drive when the Defendant approaches them from behind and shoots at least 4 times at the 3 young men. Only Simmons was struck, having been shot 3 times in the back. Simmons died from the gunshot wounds. Much of the incident was caught on surveillance videos from the Housing Authority properties.

Covington Police Officers were canvasing the area following a different shooting that led to a death from the prior night. Officers heard the gunshots and quickly responded, finding Simmons.

Larry Simmons

The Defendant fled to a family member's apartment nearby and hid the firearm and his hoodie in a blanket in a family member's room. Law enforcement recovered the murder weapon the same night. Later testing by the GBI Crime Lab confirmed the presence of the Defendant's DNA on the firearm and confirmed that it was the murder weapon. The firearm had recently been reported stolen from a car break in.

In total, the Defendant entered a guilty plea to the following charges: Malice Murder, Felony Murder, 3 counts of Aggravated Assault, 3 counts of Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony, Theft by Receiving Stolen Property, and Possession of a Handgun by a Person Under the Age of 18 Years. He was sentenced to Life in Prison with the possibility of parole, meaning he will not be eligible for parole until he serves 30 years. The case was set to be tried the week of July 13.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Madison Caito, Investigator Colin Cunningham, Victim Services Director Leslie Smith, Victim Advocate Madison Sanders, Trial Assistant Danielle Miller, and Legal Assistant Sheila Cornelius. The investigation was handled by the Covington Police Department with assistance from the GBI Crime Lab.

"This is yet another case of youth gun violence leading to terrible consequences. A 16-year-old is walking around at 1 am with a gun and ambushes 3 other young men, killing one of them. I am proud of the work of our prosecution team as well as the work of the Covington Police Department. Their hard work led to this case resolving with a guilty plea and admission of guilt, allowing Larry Simmons' family to have a level of closure without having to sit through a trial.

The DA's Office and law enforcement do an excellent job handling these cases, but parents, please ask yourself if you know what your child is doing at 1am, do you know what they are doing on social media, do you know who they are hanging out with? Prosecutors, law enforcement, community leaders, etc. can do a lot to help with this issue, but it begins and ends in the home."

Randy McGinley

District Attorney

Alcovy Judicial Circuit