Atlanta water boy shot and killed in Midtown | Suspect’s guilty plea

ATLANTA — Editor’s note: Video for this story comes from a previous report.

The suspect in the 2020 murder of a teenager while selling water in Midtown agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges in court Monday, according to the Fulton County Prosecutor’s Office.

In June 2020, 18-year-old Jalanni Pless was shot and killed while selling bottled water along 8th Street in Midtown. Police said he was shot over a $10 bill.

At the time, the teen’s mother, Meka Pless, said friends told her Jalanni was selling water to a customer when a teen from a different group tried to sell to the same person .

Apparently, Jalanni received the money and the other teen, Terrell Anderson, returned with a gun and started shooting, killing him.

Story continues below gallery.

RELATED: “All We Can Do Is Pray” | Mother mourns son killed for more than $10 while selling water in Atlanta

On Monday, the prosecutor’s office said Anderson, 19, pleaded guilty to Jalanni’s death in Fulton County Court. Anderson had previously been charged with murder. His charges were reduced to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to the district attorney’s office.

In total, Anderson will have to serve 30 years in prison, with the remaining five years on probation, the prosecutor’s office added.

Last year, 11Alive spoke with Jalanni’s mother, Meka Pless, about her journey after her son’s death and how she is trying to honor his legacy. She said he graduated from Douglas High School and sold bottled water in Atlanta as a side hustle.

RELATED: Deep dive into Atlanta’s ‘water boy’ phenomenon | Bigger than the bottle

“All we can do is pray for change, and it’s really time for change because we’ve lost a lot of our babies,” Meka said in an interview last year. last.

11Alive took A deep dive in the multi-layered experiences of Atlanta’s water boys, from the successes and struggles to those seeking to give more hope to young people. To watch the special, click here.