COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A Marietta man indicted last year on murder charges after more than a year at large has now pleaded guilty to murder and several other gang-related crimes.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced on Monday that Donald Bannister, also known as "Lil Ghost," pleaded guilty.
Bannister - who was 17 at the time and is now 20 - was identified in June 2021 as the suspect in the killing of 34-year-old Norval Bailey.
According to a release from that time by the Marietta Police Department, Bailey was shot on the evening of June 15, 2021, and found "lying in the street unresponsive." He later died at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.
Police quickly caught one suspect they said was an accomplice, but Bannister remained free for over a year.
He was arrested in August of 2022 with the help of the U.S. Marshals, Marietta Police said.
“Norval Bailey lost his life in a senseless shooting that should have never occurred,” said AG Carr. “It’s Donald Bannister’s violent actions that resulted in this tragic death and the injury of three others. Now justice has been served, and the Bailey family has finally been provided with a sense of closure as they continue to mourn the passing of their loved one.”
Bannister pleaded guilty to the following charges in Cobb County Superior Court.
In the shooting death of Norval Bailey in June 2021:
- 1 count of Voluntary Manslaughter
- 2 counts of Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act
- 1 count of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute
- 1 count of Attempted Sale of Marijuana
In the physical assault of another inmate in September 2020:
- 1 count of Aggravated Assault
- 2 counts of Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act
In the attempted armed robbery and assault of an 18 and 19-year-old in January 2019:
- 1 count of Attempted Armed Robbery
- 1 count of Aggravated Battery
- 1 count of Aggravated Assault