Atlanta Justice is investigating the murder of two children, Annaijh Rolax and Shawn Powe, in two separate violent incidences within the city.
Annaijh Rolax was just 9 years old when she was shot dead by a stray bullet fired by lowlife thug Jason Ardis. And Shawn Powe was only 15 when Quentin Cooks extinguished his life for no good reason at all.
Both of these children were murdered in neighborhoods that have been described as areas where poverty and drug-dealing are rampant, and the sound of gunfire is a regular occurrence.
Murder of Annaijh Rolax by Jason Ardis
In July 2007, Grade A student Annaijh was sitting at her computer in her ground-floor apartment when a bullet entered a nearby window and struck the girl. She was found bleeding and slumped over the computer.
A neighbor told the police that she had heard gunfire and had then seen a black Chevrolet Monte Carlo speed away from the apartment complex parking lot. She would later identify Ardis as the driver.
However, Ardis’s main downfall came after he admitted to a friend that he attempted to rob a known drug dealer living at the same apartment complex. Ardis told the friend that he had fired the shots. It seems Annaijh was caught in the crossfire.
The police then discovered the Chevrolet at Ardis’s girlfriend’s house, and she told the cops that her boyfriend had been in the car at the time of the murder.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelArdis was subsequently charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, and several other charges associated with the shooting. He was sentenced to life.
The murder of Shawn Powe by Quentin Cooks
In January 2005, at another Atlanta apartment complex, this time in the southeast of the city, 15-year-old Shawn Powe showed off a .44 caliber revolver that he had borrowed to his friends.
Powe was approached by 19-year-old Quentin Cooks, who asked if he could have a lend of the gun so he could perform a robbery that night. Powe reluctantly agreed.
However, later that night, Powe concluded that Cooks had no intention of returning the revolver, so he went looking for the hoodlum.
When Powe confronted the gun thief at his apartment, Cooks offered to purchase the gun from him. He then offered to walk Powe back to his apartment, but as they crossed a construction site, the killer pulled out the revolver and shot Powe dead.
The police later learned that Cooks had told a friend that he would rather kill Powe than return the weapon.
However, the most damning witness statement for Cooks came when a friend of Powe’s told the police that he had followed the pair through the construction site and had seen Cooks pull out the gun before hearing several gunshots.
Cooks was later charged and finally convicted of the murder.
More from Investigation Discovery
Follow the links to read about more murders profiled on ID.
Previously on Atlanta Justice, Orlando Smith shot dead his wife, Demetria Smith, execution-style in their apartment. He then left for his daughter’s home, where he persuaded her to help him cover up the crime.
Randy Whitacre burst into the Dalessio home in Plumville, Pennsylvania, with a shotgun and blasted Theresa Dalessio as her husband hid under the bed. Whitacre then turned the gun on their toddler son.
Atlanta Justice airs at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.