WOMAN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN DEADLY SHOOTING OF HER MOTHER’S BOYFRIEND

State v. Quenisha Poole

Decatur, Ga.- DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces a conviction by jury trial in the case against a woman accused of shooting and killing a man while they were in a moving vehicle.

On April 23, 2026, jurors found Quenisha Poole, 31, guilty of Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, and related charges, in connection with the death of Erick Smith, 45.

According to the investigation, Smith was dropped off at the Emory Hillandale Hospital emergency room around 8:50 p.m. on January 12, 2024, with a gunshot wound to the neck. He succumbed to his injuries on January 15, 2024.

Surveillance video from the hospital showed a silver sedan dropping Smith off then driving away. DeKalb County Police Department detectives identified and interviewed the driver of the vehicle. He shared that the victim, the victim's girlfriend, and her daughter, Defendant Poole, spent the afternoon drinking and arguing over "stupid stuff" at an apartment.

Later in the evening, the driver of the vehicle agreed to give the others, who were still intoxicated, a ride to another apartment complex. The victim was seated in the front passenger seat, his girlfriend was in the back seat behind him, and Defendant Poole was in the middle seat. Another male was in the back passenger seat behind the driver. Smith and his girlfriend argued in the car.

Smith said something to his girlfriend that angered Defendant Poole, and she responded by pulling a gun and pointing it at Smith. The driver recalled seeing a flash and realized that Smith had been shot. He drove the victim to the hospital and left him there, then drove Defendant Poole and her mother home at their request.

Defendant Poole was arrested by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Unit on May 31, 2024, without incident after months of evading police. She has been held in the DeKalb County Jail without bond since her arrest.

Immediately following the guilty verdict, DeKalb County Superior Court Chief Judge Shondeana C. Morris, who presided over the trial, sentenced Defendant Poole to Life with the Possibility of Parole, plus five years to serve consecutively.

The case, assigned to the Homicide and Gangs Unit, was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Kara Roberts, with assistance from Senior Assistant District Attorney Rachel Plevak, District Attorney Investigator Alexander Ortiz, and Supervising Victim Advocate Millicent Taylor. DeKalb County Police Department Detective M. Knight led the initial investigation.