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Third man convicted in home invasion

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

A Stone Mountain man was convicted late Tuesday of participating in a violent home invasion in north Fayette County Jan. 26.

Jessie James Mercer, 30, was found guilty of one count of armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of kidnapping. Superior Court Judge Paschal A. English sentenced Mercer to 35 years in prison after receiving the jury verdict.

Assistant District Attorney Wesley Person argued that Mercer was one of three men who broke into the home of Richard and Porchando Love.

Mrs. Love picked Mercer out of six photos in a lineup shown to her after the incident, police said.

Mr. Love testified Monday that he and his wife were startled to hear several loud banging noises after they had gone to bed for the night. Thinking the worst, he went under the bed to retrieve his wife’s gun, until he saw his wife escorted back into the bedroom by three men.

Knowing just one bullet was in the weapon, Love said he decided to give himself up.

Love also testified that one of the three intruders, whom he couldn’t identify, threatened to kill him but another one of the intruders urged not to follow through with the threat.

The suspects got away with $5,000 in cash which Mr. Love said was proceeds from a car he sold as part of his business. The suspects also got away with a 42-inch plasma screen television.

The two other defendants in the case have already been sentenced. George Roberts Jr. of Decatur pled guilty in September to related charges and was sentenced to 15 years in prison by Superior Court Judge Tommy Hankinson. Rasaul Malik Rayshad of Rex was found guilty one week later of the same charges against Mercer; Rayshad was sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years, also by Judge Hankinson.