3 face judge in connection to Grayson teen's death - KMSP-TV

Three Gwinnett County teens accused in connection to the murder of a 14-year-old Grayson High School student appeared in court on Friday.  Paul Sampleton was murdered in December, and investigators say it happened because of a dispute over high-end shoes.  

Sampleton's father found him bound and gagged inside the family's townhome.  Police say they believe the motive is theft of high-end sneakers that Sampleton bought and sold over the internet.

Gwinnett County investigators said that eight pairs of sneakers, three flat-screen TVs, an iPad, an Xbox and several other electronics were stolen from his townhome when he was killed.

Larnell Sillah, 15, faces a murder charge, while Romaine Stewart, 18, and Achiel Morgan, 15, are charged with armed robbery, police said.

Gwinnett County investigators said that eight pairs of sneakers, three flat-screen TVs, an iPad, an X-Box and several other electronics stolen from his townhome when he was killed.

Police say the three have admitted to detectives that they planned to rob Sampleton of his shoes.

On Friday, Andrew Whaley of the Gwinnett County Police Department testified that they discussed the robbery on the school bus two days before the murder.

"The original plan was that Paul was to be robbed on the 19th, which was Wednesday after school…on the start of the school break. They said they were going to rob him for his shoes," said Whaley.

Sillah's attorney, Tom West, said that there are no witnesses and no physical evidence linking his client to the crime.

"They don't have the murder weapon. They don't have any trace of evidence, you know, evidence that he was at the scene, evidence that the scene was carried with him away from the scene," West said.

Police did not identify a shooter on Friday. Authorities did mention two other men that have not been charged in the case, describing of them as a person of interest.

The cases of those charged were bound over to Superior Court.