- In Atlanta, we had all these titans and giants
of the Civil Rights Movement.
- Barney Simms was one of Atlanta's great, great contributors.
He had a real passion for the city and its people.
Barney believed that everyone should have a voice.
He was just as apt to help a young teenager who needed mentoring,
as he would the mayor for the city of Atlanta.
(gunshots fire)
- He's been shot at least twice in the back.
- When I first heard, I was shaken.
Who would have done this?
- Barney Simms was murdered outside of his home.
- I had known Barney for almost 20 of my 30 years in law enforcement,
and so I was devastated.
- He was someone trying to make the city a better place.
You would never imagine a violent situation to occur in his life.
That'd be the last way you think he'd go.
BRETT: Did Barney have enemies?
CLINT: Perhaps Barney crossed the wrong people.
BRETT: There is video surveillance of Barney Simms
and a second individual.
- We realised that he had Barney Simms' driver's license.
- No one knew who this young man was.
What does he have to hide?
- He's got a criminal record and now police have to ask themselves,
"Is this our guy?"
NARRATOR: With a rich history of its prominent citizens
leading the way and fighting for societal justice,
Atlanta has long served as the centre
of the American Civil Rights Movement.
- In the city of Atlanta, there is this mystical thing called
the Atlanta Way, where since the time of the Civil Rights Movement,
we have come to understand the notion of inclusion in this city.
- Growing up in Southwest Atlanta, we had all these titans and giants
of the Civil Rights Movement.
My father, he was Leon Hall.
He was the youngest member of Dr King's staff
and also he was great friends with Congressman John Lewis,
who I succeeded in the US Congress.
- So when people like Shirley Franklin are elected mayor,
Keisha Lance Bottoms following her a few years later,
it's worked. The Atlanta Way continues to work.
NARRATOR: But for one of these iconic leaders
in the empire of the South,
his historic run as a change maker would come to a sudden, tragic end.
On April 9th, 2016,
operators receive a panicked 911 call
from the Bonnybrook neighbourhood,
an affluent subdivision in Southwest Atlanta.
- Bonnybrook is a well-kept, decent neighbourhood
that has larger manicured lawns, bigger houses,
a community with neighbours that are taking care of each other
and looking out for each other.
The caller indicates that she heard a couple of gunshots
about 03:00 that afternoon... (gunshots)
..looked out, didn't see anything, and then further inspection at 5:30,
she notices a body on the border in her front yard.
- Shortly after that, uniformed police officers arrived on scene
and they found an elderly gentleman with his upper torso in the bushes,
separated by the dividing edge of the house.
(shutter clicks)
- Individual is late sixties, 70-year-old male.
He's been shot at least twice in the back.
NARRATOR: As responding officers approach the victim,
they immediately recognised the icon laying in front of them.
- Police officers were able to determine that the victim
was in fact Barney Simms.
NARRATOR: 70-year-old Barney Simms is a legendary community leader,
civil rights activist and the retired senior vice president
of the city's housing authority.
- I had known Barney for almost 20 of my 30 years in law enforcement
at that time, and we had served on a couple of boards together
over the course of my career,
and so I was devastated.
- Barney Simms was Atlanta's gentleman.
I knew Barney Simms.
He had a real passion for the city of Atlanta and its people.
He kind of cut his teeth along with Atlanta's really political elite,
but he just believed in trying to uplift people
who had lesser than him.
NARRATOR: Besides being a prominent player in the city's civic matters,
Barney Simms also assumes the role of mentor for anyone, young or old,
who sought his guidance.
- Barney Simms went out into the community, mentored the children,
and mentored adults, too.
If you talk to people, they'll tell you, he taught you in the right way.
He led in the right way.
- He was just as apt to help a young teenager
as he would give counsel to the mayor for the city of Atlanta.
Barney Simms worked tirelessly to improve people's lives
and the city as a whole.
NARRATOR: The 911 caller informs officers at the scene
that Barney Simms is her neighbour,
and his body was found between her property and his.
Police immediately notice
that the front door to Barney's house is wide open.
- Uniform officers are directed at that point to secure the house,
make sure there's no additional victims in the house or suspects.
Once we have the crime scene secured,
they call the homicide investigators to the scene
and the medical examiner investigators as well.
NARRATOR: The medical examiner begins her preliminary assessment
of the victim's body.
- The medical examiner's examination revealed that Barney Simms had been
shot twice in the back.
KEITH: The medical examiner found no defensive wounds.
- There's no blood spatter on the body that would indicate
that the shooter or shooters had been injured
and their blood is transferred to the body.
The medical examiner says the position of the body would
indicate that the individual was running
and trying to get as much distance between himself and the shooter,
and even find some kind of cover with going through the bushes.
NARRATOR: The victim is casually dressed in black leisure wear.
On the ground, lies a red baseball cap,
which appears to have belonged to the victim.
In his jacket pocket, the police discover his locked cell phone.
- We canvassed the crime scene looking for physical evidence.
Here, we found two spent 9 mm shell casings in the grass,
which would indicate that the firearm was in the front lawn
when it was fired.
- Our crime scene units,
they took the shell casings and dusted them for prints.
We got negative results on the shell casings.
- We had Barney Simms, an elderly man who was shot in the back.
Who would want to take his life?
Someone who worked so diligently in the community,
to do so much for so many.
Why had he been killed?
NARRATOR: As CSI gathers evidence,
homicide detectives interview the 911 caller,
Barney's neighbour Lou Merrill Gray.
- Ms Gray indicates that about 3:30 PM, she hears a couple of gunshots.
She looks out, doesn't see anybody running,
doesn't hear anybody screaming.
And if you just hear a couple of gunshots
and you don't hear anybody scream,
then maybe it was just somebody test firing a gun
or shooting a squirrel, whatever.
She goes about her business
and then at 5:30, she looks out at her front yard
and discovers the body of Mr Simms.
So, we surmised that he was shot at 3:30.
NARRATOR: While Ms Gray doesn't recall seeing anything unusual,
she tells investigators that something of Barney's
appears to be missing from his driveway.
- Mr Simms' 2006 Lexus was missing from the scene as well.
- This is a huge clue for us.
Did the killer steal Barney's car?
This gives us another avenue to race down
looking for a possible suspect.
- So, it became extremely important for us at that point
to get a lookout on Mr Simms' Lexus,
because evidence could potentially be found
inside of Mr Simms' vehicle.
NARRATOR: Detectives immediately notify dispatch
for all units to be on the lookout
for the victim's missing car.
- His front door to his house was wide open and as you go in,
you're able to tell something's out of place.
There was a folded rug where it appeared that someone may have,
in their haste, kicked the rug or turned it over.
- There is a space where a TV had been, and it was gone.
And the soundbar for that TV is laying on the floor.
This indicated right away that somebody
had taken the TV with great haste.
NARRATOR: Although Barney's television has been taken,
nothing else of value appears to be missing.
- The fact that the TV is missing and some of the other more mobile,
expensive items are still in place, that's indicative of somebody
that's working with great speed and not really thinking.
- His wallet was also missing.
We were unable to locate his wallet, either on his person or in his home.
So, either the wallet was taken, or it was in his car,
but it was not on the crime scene.
There wasn't any sign of forced entry,
so either he didn't lock the door when he left
or somebody followed him home and pushed in, you know,
when he opens, unlocks the door and the burglary starts at that point.
- We dusted the doorknob leading into the residence
along with other items inside of the residence,
looking for fingerprints or any trace evidence.
We try to find blood evidence and unfortunately,
we just kept running into one dead end after another.
NARRATOR: With the crime scene yielding few leads, detectives begin
knocking on doors in Barney's neighbourhood in search of witnesses.
- We do a canvass of the neighbourhood,
find out if neighbours were home at 3:30 in the afternoon that day,
if they saw anything, heard anything.
- Also, we attempted to collect any surveillance camera footage
that might have captured, potentially, the suspect
either coming to or leaving Barney Simms' residence.
Unfortunately, we weren't able to uncover any video at that time.
NARRATOR: With no tangible leads
and indications that the murder may have been targeted,
investigators now must consider the possibility
that Barney's line of work could've made him some powerful enemies.
- Barney also chaired the license review board
and that related to alcohol licenses and things of that matter,
so he was also top cop.
- Barney would be a part of decision making
where it came to closing down certain bars, restaurants.
- So perhaps some people that Barney had made angry
by closing down their businesses, could be responsible for his murder.
- We all were taken aback, as Barney seemed to treat everybody right.
- Within hours, everybody was outraged that this Atlanta icon
had been murdered.
- We have located Barney Simms' vehicle.
There was the possibility of fingerprints.
- The discovery of this could prove to be a huge break in the case.
NARRATOR: Atlanta PD detectives
are investigating the murder of civic icon Barney Simms,
shot to death midday in his front yard.
The team has put out a BOLO for Barney's missing vehicle,
and they now must contact his family to break the news of his death
and find out who may have had motive to kill this titan of Atlanta.
- Barney had two children.
His son Justin and his daughter Natalie
had to be contacted by the Atlanta law enforcement authorities
to give them notification.
And knowing them as I do,
I imagine that it was devastating to hear the news
that their father had been murdered,
and in particular, left to die on his own front lawn.
Personally, it was just devastating for me to get the phone call
and learn that Barney had been murdered.
I was stunned.
I was stunned,
because I couldn't imagine anybody who would want to hurt Barney Simms.
- When I first heard about Barney's murder,
I probably was like everybody else in the city of Atlanta.
I was shaken.
Who would have done this to Barney and why?
- We all were taken aback,
'cause Barney seemed to treat everybody right.
You would never imagine a violent situation to occur in his life.
That'd be the last way you think he'd go.
NARRATOR: As far back as the early 1970s,
the young Barney Simms was an important figure
in Atlanta activism.
- Barney was working to try and focus the politicians
on why these neighbourhoods that are African American, crumbling?
Why aren't we doing something about that?
- We needed the resources. I came home and we found the money.
- He was able to accomplish tremendous improvements
in the lives of many of the citizens in our community
when he worked as a senior vice president
for the Atlanta Housing Authority.
NARRATOR: Simms had recently retired from his housing authority post,
but he continued to serve on several city boards.
- Barney Simms was one of those guys that you meet him once,
you're never gonna forget him.
You know, his distinctive moustache was his trademark.
- That was part of Barney's charm.
He was an upstanding gentleman
who carried himself respectfully at all times.
Barney never identified openly as gay.
If he was a gay man, he was a very private gay man
and that was his business. It never bled into his civic life.
If you knew, you knew.
NARRATOR: But now the city must come to terms with the devastating loss
of one of its most cherished sons.
REPORTER: A community in shock.
- Barney Simms was murdered outside of his home.
REPORTER: Police say his front door was open, his Lexus gone.
- Within hours, the murder broke on the news,
and everybody was literally outraged
and concerned that this Atlanta icon had been murdered.
Anytime you're dealing with a high profile murder,
there's always that added pressure.
We knew immediately
the community was gonna demand answers sooner rather than later.
REPORTER: Dozens of people gathered outside the house
as detectives combed the scene,
including former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.
- When you start receiving calls from the likes of Shirley Franklin
and Congressman Lewis, then it kind of underscores
the stature of Barney Simms in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
- He was part of the infrastructure here.
Like a house, if you knock a beam out of the house,
that was what it felt like.
The feeling of deep loss, because he was someone
trying to make the city a better place,
so how do you replace someone like that?
- But his family, they lost a father
and I imagine that the grief was just overwhelming.
- Whoever did this definitely needs to come forward.
We want this person to be caught.
It's awful to be able to take away a man that is loved by so many.
- We contact family members,
asking is there any kind of history with threats or if people are,
you know, badmouthing him, social media type stuff.
NARRATOR: Barney's family tells investigators
that they have no idea who would've wanted him dead.
They can't think of anyone dangerous he upset,
so detectives do a deep dive into Barney's storied career,
paying particular attention
to his period of service on the licensing board.
- Investigators looked into whether or not Barney had possibly crossed
the wrong set of people
by denying liquor licenses or closing businesses,
but there was really no evidence to support this idea.
- At this point, there's no fingerprints or DNA
from the crime scene. There's no possible suspect.
- One after another, we just kept running into dead ends.
NARRATOR: Now over six hours into the investigation,
detectives are at a standstill
until they get a promising call from East Point.
- East Point is a city
that borders the southern end of the city of Atlanta.
It's a couple miles down the road.
East Point Police Department
contacts the Atlanta Police Department.
They have found Barney Simms' vehicle.
This is a huge break.
We now have a piece of physical evidence
that we can process for fingerprints, DNA.
NARRATOR: Detectives race to the location,
the parking lot of an East Point apartment complex,
just a few miles from Barney's Southwest Atlanta home.
- Barney Simms' Black Lexus sedan is parked in a nice apartment area,
leading police to believe that whoever took that car or whoever
parked that car lived nearby.
- Our CSI people process the vehicle.
They dust for fingerprints and look for any trace evidence.
NARRATOR: The search yields little in terms of forensic evidence,
apart from one crucial item.
KEITH: They found a hat in the back.
It was a Chicago Bulls ball cap.
- We immediately contact family members and say,
is this something that is important to Barney?
Was Chicago his favourite team?
His children say that that's nothing that Barney Simms would have,
so the probability is that the hat belongs to either the person that
shot Barney Simms or drove the car away from the crime scene.
So, the hat obviously is sent to the state crime lab for DNA analysis.
NARRATOR: As the crime lab processes Barney's car
and the suspicious ball cap,
investigators fan out and speak with people at the apartment complex,
and they catch a break.
- We spoke to the maintenance guy who says, listen,
while I'm out here doing my job cleaning up, I find an empty wallet
and a couple of different items from that wallet.
- He realised that he had Barney Simms' driver's license
among those items.
NARRATOR: Investigators send the wallet to the lab
to be tested for fingerprints and DNA.
- And so at this point, we're wondering
if the suspect actually lives in this apartment complex,
because we find the vehicle there and the victim's discarded wallet.
NARRATOR: Detectives canvass the rest of the complex
to see if anyone knows why Barney Simms' wallet and vehicle
would've been left there.
- Unfortunately, the canvass of the apartment complex didn't turn up
any new leads or any witnesses that could've been connected to the car,
or to any of Barney's personal effects found there at the scene.
- We are disappointed, because there is no video surveillance
of the general area where the car is recovered.
NARRATOR: Now only a few days into the investigation,
as detectives try to make sense of why Barney's stolen items were
left in East Point, they get word that the autopsy results are in.
- The medical examiner was able to take two 9 mm projectiles
from his remains, which was extremely important,
especially if we ever found the murder weapon
to connect the ballistic evidence.
Barney Simms had no defensive wounds.
There was no DNA underneath his fingernails
that would've suggested that he fought with his assailant.
It's extremely disheartening. You had the opportunity to get
whatever it was you wanted to take from him,
but you took that opportunity to shoot him twice in the back
as he was running away, which seems senseless to me.
NARRATOR: In order to establish
who Simms had contact with before he died,
detectives seek access to his cell phone logs
using a technique in common use
since the advent of smartphone technology.
- Barney's cell phone was found at the scene,
but unfortunately the phone was locked,
and they were unable to access its contents.
- We even got permission from his family members to use his thumbprint
to actually open the phone.
- They get a wealth of information that will allow the investigators
to actually put together a timeline of events about who Barney called,
and who called Barney before and during the time of his murder.
NARRATOR: As detectives begin going through Simms' phone,
one particular call from two hours before the murder stands out.
- 01:24, there is a incoming call.
It's a short call.
We call that phone number to determine what the conversation was.
The individual answers, we explain who we are.
We told the individual that Barney Simms had been killed and we would
like to discuss whatever was discussed on that phone call.
- And he said his name is Kwan Bradley.
- Kwan then says that he doesn't know Barney Simms,
but he would be more than willing to meet with the police.
He gives us an address to meet, so the phone call ends,
and we do some research on the address,
and the address doesn't exist.
So obviously, it's a red flag almost immediately,
like somebody is deliberately trying to avoid
any kind of contact with the police department.
- The false address really rose law enforcement's suspicion about what
did this person have to hide.
NARRATOR: Atlanta Police Department detectives
on the trail of Barney Simms' killer
have just spoken on the phone with a man who IDs himself as Kwan Bradley,
one of the last people Simms called before he was murdered.
- Police tell Kwan Bradley, well we wanna rule you out
so we need to meet with you. He says, sure.
He gives him an address, but they learn that this address is no good.
- The next step for police was to find a way to locate this Kwan.
They decide to just trace the number.
When they trace the number, it actually leads to a dead end,
because this is a burner phone and no one is picking it up.
So for now, police are unable to locate this person of interest
and so the trail goes cold.
(sorrowful music)
NARRATOR: Three days after the murder,
a large crowd gathers for a candlelight vigil
near Barney Simms' home.
- Just continue to pray for us. MAN: Yes, sure.
- Because we're still confused and shocked.
- It was sad, he left behind a lot of good friends.
All of us was, I think, for weeks, in shock.
NARRATOR: As the community comes together
to mourn the loss of a local hero,
the citizens of Atlanta struggle to process his sudden violent death.
- I want you to know that I hurt just like you hurt,
because he was a friend and an advocate for our community.
- I'm sure we're gonna find the culprits, and the mayor,
all my colleagues on council,
we want to see this person brought to justice.
- As days pass, you start to receive more and more phone calls about
the progress of the investigation.
- Police are really starting to feel the heat
from some of Atlanta's most prominent citizens.
So now police are looking at Barney's bank records to see
if they can trace his last steps and his final hours before his murder.
- The bank has got two transactions prior to gunshots at 03:30.
The first is a local grocery store at 11:00 AM.
So we go to that location and there is video of Barney Simms alone
purchasing groceries.
NARRATOR: Detectives then head to the final location
Barney used his credit card before he was killed.
- The day of the murder, about 02:30,
there is another transaction at a local Waffle House
and there is video surveillance at the Waffle House.
And on that video surveillance, you can plainly see Barney Simms
and a second individual.
- The individual had on a black jacket
and he actually had a meal there
at the Waffle House with Barney Simms.
We believe, at this point, that this might have been the last person that
actually saw Barney Simms alive.
So it becomes important for us to identify who this individual is.
- Police show the video surveillance footage to Barney's family,
but unfortunately, no one in the family is able to recognise
the person shown in the footage.
- No one knew who this young man was,
so the next step for police was to turn to the news media for help.
- We're not sure if he has any involvement in the homicide at all.
If you recognise this individual, please give us a call.
He may have been the last person who saw Mr Simms alive.
- The video is uploaded to social media,
"Crime Stoppers" reward is offered for information leading
to the identity of the individual.
- Once the video is put out by the media,
tips start flooding the police department.
One of the tips generated the name of 17-year-old Eric Banks.
- Police look into this Eric Banks fellow and what they find out
is that he has a lengthy rap sheet.
- Mr Banks actually was involved in an incident at a MARTA station.
This was a shooting where a 9 mm was actually used.
- The facts are really starting to stack up,
because a 9 mm was also used in the murder of Barney Simms.
- As part of the workup on Mr Banks,
we get into his social media accounts and we are able to identify
several photographs of Mr Banks
wearing a Chicago Bulls baseball hat.
This is obviously identical to the baseball hat that was recovered
in the backseat of Barney Simms' vehicle
when it was recovered in East Point.
NARRATOR: Investigators also believe that Banks could've been
the individual they spoke to earlier that called himself Kwan Bradley.
- He's got a criminal record,
he's been found to use the same calibre weapon
that was used in the Barney Simms case,
and it appears as though his personal property was found
inside of Barney's car.
But more importantly,
we've actually got Eric Banks identified positively on the video
surveillance footage with Barney Simms just before his murder.
And so now police have to ask themselves, "Is Eric Banks our guy?"
NARRATOR: Investigators now need to track down Eric Banks.
- So, detectives proceed to last known address of Mr Banks,
an address that's close to Barney Simms' home.
- We go to that particular location and meet Kevin Banks,
the father of Eric, and he tells us that his son doesn't live there.
- We show him the video from the Waffle House
and Kevin Banks confirms that that is, in fact, his son
Eric Banks on the video with Barney Simms.
- Eric Banks' father, Kevin Banks,
tells police that his son is basically estranged from the family.
He's out on his own.
NARRATOR: But just as the team is about to leave the Banks' home,
the case takes a surprising turn.
(phone rings)
- In a strange twist of fate, as police are talking to Kevin Banks,
his son Eric Banks calls his father.
- So, at this point,
police decide they really want to turn up the pressure.
- He said, "I didn't kill Barney Simms.
I didn't kill anybody."
- Investigators searched the bedroom and found two 9 mm clips,
which was consistent with the shell casings at the crime scene.
- This is a huge point in the investigation,
and then she drops the bombshell.
NARRATOR: Detectives investigating the murder of Atlanta civic icon
Barney Simms have zeroed in on Eric Banks,
a teenager with a lengthy rap sheet.
As the team speaks with his father, Banks unexpectedly calls him.
- They immediately request that he put the call on speakerphone
so that they can hear, and he does.
- He does not tell the son, Eric Banks, that the police are there,
but he tells the son, "Police are looking for you.
They want to talk to you about the murder of Barney Simms."
Eric Banks tells his father, "I didn't kill Barney Simms.
I didn't kill anybody."
- Kevin tells his son to turn himself in and talk to the police,
and the conversation ends shortly thereafter.
- Kevin Banks tells us that Eric sometimes spend time
at his aunt's house and so he gave us the address.
Investigators at that point go to interview her
about the whereabouts of Eric.
NARRATOR: Investigators head to the home of Eric Banks' aunt Tamika,
where she immediately confirms that the man in the Waffle House
surveillance footage is Eric.
- Tamika tells the detectives that Eric had actually met Barney Simms
a few days before the shooting incident.
He had been introduced to Barney through a group of friends who were
being mentored by Barney Simms.
Eric wanted to be a part of that group, he was hoping that somebody
would mentor him to try and get his life back on track.
- Tamika Banks admits to police that after seeing reports
of Barney Simms' murder on the news, she actually brought the subject up
to her nephew and then she drops the bombshell.
- She admits to investigators that Eric had confessed to her
about committing the murder of Barney Simms.
- This is a huge point in the investigation.
They have a confession.
- The aunt actually allowed us to search the bedroom
where Eric normally would stay.
Inside of that particular bedroom, investigators found a black jacket
very similar to the black jacket
of the individual that was seen at the Waffle House.
Investigators also was found two 9 mm clips,
which was consistent with the shell casings found at the crime scene.
NARRATOR: But police do not find the gun that killed Barney Simms.
- At this point, we believe that investigators have sufficient
evidence to draft arrest warrants
charging him with the murder of Barney Simms.
(sirens wail)
- Our fugitive unit currently is in possession of the warrant,
and we are attempting to locate him at this time
in connection with that homicide.
NARRATOR: US Marshals scour the Atlanta area,
while investigators put pressure on Banks' family
to ensure he's apprehended peacefully.
- Five days after the murder of Barney Simms,
we receive a phone call from Eric Banks' mother.
She indicates that Eric is at her apartment in Southwest Atlanta,
and that he is there and is willing to turn himself in.
NARRATOR: Investigators quickly head over to Banks' mother's house,
which is less than three miles from where Barney Simms lived.
- When police show up at the mother's house to arrest Eric Banks,
they're taken aback by the scene.
You have the family crying, hugging him,
showing plenty of emotion as he's led away in handcuffs.
NARRATOR: Banks is brought in for questioning
and agrees to speak to investigators.
- Eric Banks tells detectives that he had met Barney Simms
in the neighbourhood through some friends,
and that they had actually exchanged phone numbers.
They had agreed to meet at the Waffle House for a meal.
Eric Banks actually shared his troubled past with Barney
and told him that he was trying to overcome his past criminal life.
- During the interview he was very nonchalant,
like it was not a big deal.
Very unassuming, very calm.
NARRATOR: While Banks admits to spending time with Barney the day
of the murder and also to leaving his Chicago bulls cap in Simms' car,
he stops short of confessing.
- Eric denies any involvement in the murder of Barney Simms.
- At this point, the police decide to change up tactics
and they really want to turn up the pressure,
so they lay out all of the evidence they have against Eric Banks.
That includes his criminal history, the use of the same calibre weapon
that was used in the murder of Barney Simms.
They have him identified on the video taken at the Waffle House,
and they have his hat in Barney's car.
By now, Banks must be sensing the way the wind is blowing
and he makes a shocking admission.
Eric Banks says, "It's true, I shot Barney Simms...
..but it was self-defence."
- Mr Banks said, "Barney Simms came on to me.
He said, you know, 'Let's go inside and have a drink.'
And when we got inside, he approached me from behind
and got too close." - (handcuffs click)
NARRATOR: Banks insists the killing was self-defence
and he is taken to jail to await trial.
Detectives investigate Banks' claim, despite the overwhelming evidence
that he could not have been acting in self-defence,
given that he shot Simms in the back as he was running away.
- When Eric Banks makes that assertion,
certainly we have to examine it.
We always examine past behaviours.
- Barney Simms had no history whatsoever
of any kind of misconduct.
- As a community, we did not know him as someone who was a predator.
Absolutely nothing in his background suggested that,
nothing in his history suggested that,
nothing in his lifestyle suggested that.
That was not who Barney Simms was.
- We believe that Eric Banks concocted this story in an effort
to try to deflect from him actually robbing and ultimately murdering
Barney Simms at his home.
- He shot Barney Simms twice in the back, while he was running away.
(gunshots fire)
He robbed his house.
He stole his car.
There's nothing about this that is consistent with self-defence.
- So, self-defence doesn't hold a whole lot of water at that point,
but he does confess to being the individual
responsible for Barney Simms' death.
NARRATOR: Eric Banks is held without bond on charges of murder,
aggravated assault, and armed robbery.
Two days after Banks' arrest, on April 16th, 2016,
Barney Simms is laid to rest by a city in mourning.
- Barney's funeral was a testament to who he was.
It was held at Barney's home church, Antioch North Baptist Church,
and some of Atlanta's most influential political, business
and religious leaders were all present.
- Mayor Shirley Franklin was there. Congressman John Lewis was there.
Both delivered eulogies at Barney Simms' funeral.
- Barney was a terrific public servant,
served his community very well.
- He was a wonderful man.
He treated everybody I know right.
- The service was very emotional.
I knew Barney personally and so... um, it was tough.
- It was not just another day, another murder, another funeral.
This was special.
There was a palpable sense of mourning in the city
for Barney Simms, because we had lost a real hero of the people.
NARRATOR: As the city of Atlanta comes to grips
with the loss of their fallen hero,
prosecutors prepare for Eric Banks' trial.
If convicted of felony murder,
Banks could face a term of life imprisonment.
- The evidence was overwhelming against Eric Banks.
You don't get stronger murder cases the way that this one came together.
So his defence counsel wisely urged him to take a plea deal
in this case, of 35 years without the possibility of parole.
NARRATOR: For the city of Atlanta,
the loss of one of their most beloved sons is incalculable.
- You know, Barney's life was one that was committed to our community.
And unfortunately, this case, the price was his life.
- When you think about this case,
I do get a little pissed off because Barney was one of the good guys,
and it's just really senseless and it does make you mad.
- It was just a joy to be in Barney's presence.
Helping people put him in a position where he encountered this young man,
and that encounter is what led to his death.
That is incredibly ironic, and yet it tells me that he
remains true to his calling, whatever is the cost.
That's dedication, that's real dedication.
- Atlanta is resilient, but you know, Barney was one for the ages.
There is a hole that exists.
It's hard to replace him.
You know, the city has lost one of its great, great, great contributors
and I know I miss him.