Georgia man found guilty of killing housemate because he was trying to sleep

DECATUR, Ga. (TCN) -- A 22-year-old man has been found guilty of killing a 51-year-old man at their shared home in 2022 amid a dispute about the victim being too loud.

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced that a jury convicted Sincere Rush on Thursday, June 13, of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting death of Marcus Bradford. A judge scheduled Rush’s sentencing hearing for July 10.

According to prosecutors, on the night of Nov. 28, 2022, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department responded to a home, where they discovered Bradford on the ground of the garage with a gunshot wound to his torso. Authorities said Rush was also at the residence, where both he and Bradford rented rooms. The homeowner does not live in the house, the district attorney’s office said.

Bradford’s girlfriend and fellow tenant of the home reportedly told officials that she and Bradford were eating pizza in a car in the garage when Rush confronted them and said, "Y’all know I sleep right here, right?" Bradford got out of the vehicle and said that he believed he and his girlfriend were not being loud.

According to the district attorney’s office, Rush shot his housemate and called 911. The defendant reportedly told police he shot the victim in self-defense, claiming Bradford "approached him aggressively." However, investigators obtained surveillance footage and audio revealing that Rush went to the garage armed with a gun, while Bradford didn’t have a weapon on him during the confrontation.