Two brothers sentenced to life in violent armed robberies in Brookhaven

DEKALB COUNTY, GA —Two brothers have been sentenced to life in prison after their convictions for a series of violent robberies in Brookhaven from Dec. 13, 2019 through Jan. 24, 2020.

On Oct. 24, a jury found Edrick Agee, 35, of Forest Park guilty of two counts of Armed Robbery, Criminal Attempt to Commit Armed Robbery and Aggravated Assault.

Jurors also found Avonte Treon Fortson, 41, of Riverdale guilty on two charges of Armed Robbery.

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Shondeana Morris, who presided over the trial, sentenced both Agee and Fortson to life in prison.

According to the investigation, Defendants Fortson and Agee robbed multiple people at gunpoint during separate incidents at apartment complexes along Buford Highway in Brookhaven.  During one of the robberies, the defendants held up a man and his girlfriend and shot the male victim.  The man survived his injuries.

Co-Defendant Elizabeth Edmonds, 32, who shares children with Agee, was the getaway driver for the crimes, authorities said.

While speaking with police shortly after she was robbed, one of the victims noticed that her stolen bank card had been used at a Walmart.  Officers went to the store and identified Edmonds and Fortson as the people who had used the victim’s card.

License plate readers placed Edmonds’ car in the area of most of the robberies when they happened.

Detectives interviewed Edmonds, who cooperated with police and implicated both Agee and Fortson.

In February 2022, Edmonds pleaded guilty to the charges as indicted and was sentenced to eight years of probation.

The case, assigned to the Trial Division, was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Joya Fortson with assistance from ADA Sean Johnston, DA Investigator Jose Berrones, Jr., and Victim Advocates Breanna Sawyer and Sandra Trejos-Roman.  Brookhaven Police Department Detective Perez led the initial investigation.