Albany Herald

From left, Brian Beasley and LaDerick Chappell

ALBANY, Ga. — Two Albany men are heading to prison for the rest of their lives after being found guilty for two separate killings, court officials say.

Brian Beasley was convicted by a Dougherty County jury Thursday afternoon in the February 2011 shooting death of Robert Purvis. Beasley was convicted of killing Purvis, 19, at a car wash in East Albany.

Prosecutors argued that Beasley shot and killed Purvis at a stall at the Splash-N-Dash Car wash on South Mock Road and then stole his car. The car was later found at the Albany Mall parking lot.

Beasley was arrested the next day at the Sleep Inn on Dawson Road.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Matt Breedon called the killing “senseless” and said that by anyone’s estimation, Beasley picked Purvis completely at random.

“This one is different not only because it was a very clear cut case, but what amazed me was the utter violence of it,” Breedon said. “I mean he walked up to the car, shot the guy twice in the chest, then again in the neck and just watched him bleed out. It was completely senseless.”

Chief Dougherty Superior Court Judge Willie Lockette apparently felt the same way, handing down the maximum penalty under Georgia law other than the death penalty — life without the possibility of parole.

The other case ended in the same results, but with different circumstances.

Laderick Chappell stood accused Thursday morning of killing of Frankie Carr by beating him to death with a pipe in October 2010.

Despite attempts by Chappell to convince jurors that he only hit Carr in self-defense, he was convicted after several hours of deliberation Thursday morning and sentenced to serve the remainder of his natural life in prison.

Despite attempts by Chappell to convince jurors that he only hit Carr in self-defense, he was convicted after several hours of deliberation Thursday morning and sentenced to serve the remainder of his natural life in prison.