A BRAVE TALE, 1C ‘Patriots Day’ chronicles bombing of Boston Marathon
Gwinnett Daily Post
NEW HEIGHTS Centrals’ Hillery has developed into an all-around scorer • Sports, 1B
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2017
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
75 cents ©2017 SCNI
Vol. 47, No. 71
Homeowner finds body in storage bin BY CAILIN O’BRIEN
cailin.obrien @gwinnettdailypost.com
A Lawrenceville homeowner found a blue storage bin containing a dead body in his yard Thursday afternoon. The homeowner called Gwinnett police at about 1 p.m., and officers taped off the area on
MORE ONLINE Visit gwinnettdailypost.com for more photos.
the 800 Block of James Road. Gwinnett County Police Department Cpl. Deon Washington said the body in the container belonged to a black woman. “The victim is showing
the beginning signs of decomposition, and there is no known age range at this time,” he said. The woman was likely killed somewhere else, and Washington said he doesn’t believe there’s any link between the woman and the homeowner whose yard she
Gwinnett County police investigate a body found in a bin in a Lawrenceville front yard. (Staff Photo: Cailin O’Brien)
See BODY, Page 7A
MLK DAY 2017
LAWRENCEVILLE
Arrest made in murder at Walgreens
FINAL HOURS
CAILIN O’BRIEN cailin.obrien@gwinnettdailypost.com
Gwinnett sheriff’s deputies and Norcross police arrested a Lawrenceville man accused of killing another man at a Walgreens on Sugarloaf Parkway in late November. Gwinnett Police Cpl. Michele Pihera said Christopher Lamont Middleton, 21, was arrested Thursday morning on a probation violation. He was riding a county bus when deputies found him. “We appreciate the cooperation of Norcross PD officers, who didn’t hesitate to assist us with a marked unit to stop the Christopher Middleton Gwinnett County Transit bus that was carrying an alleged killer,” the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook. Middleton was charged with the Nov. 22 murder of Wesley J. Bryant, 26, after the lead investigator in that case interviewed him. He’s accused of shooting Bryant twice after stealing marijuana from him, according to warrants. A passerby found Bryant unresponsive near his car in the parking lot of Walgreens at the corner of Sugarloaf Parkway and Lawrenceville Highway at about 7:45 p.m. Bryant was pronounced dead after he was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center that night. Middleton was booked into Gwinnett County jail at 11:29 a.m. and is being held without bail. He’s scheduled to appear in court Jan. 25 at 1:30 p.m. for his bond hearing.
Neal Ghant plays Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Aurora Theatre’s presentation of ‘The Mountaintop.’ (Photos: Chris Bartelski)
Aurora Theatre to present ‘The Mountaintop,’ a play that imagines MLK’s last night
BY JON GALLO
IF YOU GO
Staff Correspondent
This isn’t debatable: On April 3, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his historic “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech at the Masonic Temple in Memphis, Tenn. On April 4, the Nobel Peace Prize winner was assassinated by James Earl Ray at the nearby Lorraine Motel. But what King said and thought in between his iconic speech and taking his last breath certainly is debatable. Director Eric J. Little sheds light on the civil rights leader’s final night in “The Mountaintop,” a play that will run at the Aurora Theatre through Feb. 12.
What: “The Mountaintop” When: Through Feb. 12 Where: Aurora Theatre, Lawrenceville More info: Go to www. auroratheatre.com for ticket information
The one-act, 105-minute play has a two-person cast — Neal Ghant as King and Cynthia D. Barker as Camae, a mysterious maid who is one of the last to speak with King . “It’s a fictional reimagining of what King was going through King’s mind before he was assassinated,” Little said. “I wouldn’t Neal Ghant plays Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Cynthia D. Barker Ca-
mae, portrays a mysterious maid who is one of the last people to speak
See MLK, Page 2A with King in “The Mountaintop.”
gwinnettdailypost.com
INSIDE Classified .......7B
Horoscope .....4A
Nation ........... 5A
Sports ............1B
Comics...........6B
Local ............. 8A
Obituaries ......7A
Weather .........4A
Crossword .....6B
Lottery........... 4A
Perspectives ..6A
Weekend........1C
Stay connected with the Daily Post online, where you can submit news tips, browse photo galleries and sign up to receive headlines digitally at gwinnettdailypost.com/newsletter. Send us engagements, wedding, births or anniversaries under “Submit your news” on the home page.
Join the fun! Sunday, Jan. 29 •2-4:00pm •
at Mall of Georgia
Free Family Event
• • • •
Ticket giveaway every 15 minutes Grand Prize giveaway at 4:00pm See Zach and Ben “clown around” Free fun activities, clown noses & more!
Get your tickets today! 462482-2
A Gwinnett County police car sits outside the Walgreens at the corner of Sugarloaf Parkway and Lawrenceville Highway, near Lawrenceville, as officers investigate a homicide at the pharmacy Nov. 22. (File Photo)
Philips Arena • Feb. 15-20 Infinite Energy Arena • Feb. 23-Mar. 5 ringling.com