An Athens-Clarke County jury has convicted Keanthony Sorrells, 17, of felony murder and ten other counts in the fatal shooting of Cameron Manago, 20, at the Rolling Ridge Apartments in Athens on May 27, 2024, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced on Friday, November 6. Sorrells was found guilty following a nine-day trial, and the verdict itself was returned on Thursday, November 5, 2026.

Source: Georgia Attorney General's Office

Sorrells is the second and final defendant to be convicted in the case. His co-defendant, Zyquavious Thomas, 18, previously pleaded guilty on September 16, 2026. According to the Attorney General's Office, both Sorrells and Thomas are associates of Sex Money Murder, a national set of the Bloods that prosecutors say has a strong presence throughout Georgia.

The charges the jury decided

On November 5, 2026, Sorrells was convicted of one count of felony murder, one count of armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, four counts of violating the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and one count of possession of a handgun by a person under the age of 18 years — eleven counts in total. Sentencing will take place at a later date, the Attorney General's Office said.

The case began more than two years ago. A Georgia Attorney General's release issued on November 25, 2024, said the Gang Prosecution Unit presented evidence to an Athens-Clarke County grand jury on November 19, 2024, which indicted Thomas and Sorrells over the Rolling Ridge shooting; Sorrells was 15 years old at the time of that indictment and was charged then with murder, felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, the under-18 handgun count and the four gang-act counts. A third defendant was also indicted on drug charges in the same 2024 case. The November 5 jury verdict is the genuinely new development that closes the case against both shooting defendants.

Source: Georgia Attorney General's Office (2024 indictment release)

What officials said

"This conviction is just the latest in our ongoing efforts to combat violent gang activity in every corner of this state, and it's working," said Attorney General Chris Carr. "When we created our Gang Prosecution Unit four years ago, we promised to go after those who are putting lives at risk, and we started in Athens. Alongside our local, state and federal partners, we have stopped a deadly gang war and secured justice for victims and their families. All Georgians deserve to be safe, and we're fighting to ensure that's a reality."

Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Jerry Saulters said the conviction "reflects the importance of strong law enforcement partnerships and the collective commitment to holding individuals accountable for acts of violence," adding that addressing gang-related crime requires continued collaboration, shared resources and a coordinated approach. Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said criminal gangs pose a significant threat to community safety and called the conviction an important step in addressing that threat.

"Gang violence has devastating consequences for our communities, and this conviction represents another important step toward holding those responsible accountable," said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. "Through our partnership with the Georgia Attorney General's Gang Prosecution Unit and our local law enforcement partners, the FBI remains committed to dismantling violent gangs, preventing further bloodshed, and making our communities safer."

The gang war behind the case

Most of the Athens cases handled by the Gang Prosecution Unit involve a conflict between two rival gangs known as Everybody Eats (EBE) and Red Tape Gang (RTG), according to the Attorney General's Office. The conflict dates back to 2021 and has resulted in several shootings — both fatal and non-fatal — throughout the Athens area. The shooting deaths the unit has successfully prosecuted from that conflict include three-year-old Kryon Santino Zarco Smith, 19-year-old Brynarius Smith, 24-year-old Ja'Vanni McDavid and 19-year-old Alijah Nelson.

A unit built for cases like this

Attorney General Carr created Georgia's first statewide Gang Prosecution Unit in 2022, with the support of Governor Brian Kemp and members of the General Assembly, and it began work on July 1, 2022. Since then it has investigated and prosecuted cases in more than 20 counties — including Athens-Clarke, Barrow, Bibb, Chatham, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Laurens, Muscogee and Richmond — securing more than 150 convictions across the state. The unit is based in Atlanta, with regional satellite prosecutors and investigators in Albany, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Savannah and Southeast Georgia, and it sits inside the Attorney General's Prosecution Division alongside the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, the White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit and the Organized Retail Crime Unit.

What happens next

Sorrells will be sentenced at a later date; the Attorney General's Office did not announce a sentencing date in Friday's release. With Thomas's September guilty plea and Sorrells's November 5 conviction, both defendants in the Rolling Ridge case have now been convicted. The Attorney General's Office says several other Athens defendants are still facing charges in related gang cases, so further Athens prosecutions from the unit are expected.