ATLANTA — A verdict has been reached in the trial of the man accused of shooting and killing 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in 2020 as she and her mother drove by an inflamed Atlanta’s Wendy’s.

After deliberating for nearly eight hours over two days, the jury found Julian Conley guilty on 12 counts, including murder, felony murder, and five counts of aggravated assault.

Conley was acquitted of gang-related charges. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rachelle Carnesale sentenced Conley to life without parole plus an additional 25 years.

Conley remained stoic, but nodded as the judge says she wasn’t going to stack his sentences because of how well he comported himself at trial.

The trial included video evidence recovered from three businesses near the scene, which prosecutors said showed Conley moving around University Avenue where an illegal street barricade had been set up.

The state argued that the incident was linked to a local gang faction upset over the police killing of Rayshard Brooks, though defense attorney Arnold Ragas acknowledged Conley’s gang affiliation but insisted he was not the shooter.

During closing arguments on Thursday, prosecutors said Conley’s guilt could be seen on video, while the defense argued investigators relied on “lies and half-truths” and ignored other suspects.

Earlier in the week, emotional testimony moved Turner’s mother, Charmaine Turner, and Conley to tears as the Fulton County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Karen Sullivan described the child’s fatal gunshot wounds.

Secoriea Turner’s mother, Charmaine Turner, says “justice was served, and I appreciate all they have done to get to the bottom of it and the truth.”

However, Conley’s mother, Robyn Conley, said, “I don’t see how they saw what they saw. I see evidence manipulated from the beginning.”

This is a developing story.