Quitman native pleads guilty to manslaughter charge

One man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2016 death of a Quitman native.

Michael Sumrall pleaded guilty this morning in Clarke County Circuit Court. Sumrall was charged in the death of Marcus Blanks in February 2016. Sumrall shot and killed Blanks at the Quail Run Apartments after the two had fought earlier in the day outside a convenience store. Investigators say a plea deal in this case was the best route to make sure Sumrall was put behind bars.

"We felt that if we went to trial that a jury would convict of manslaughter, or possibly, they could hang up. Some of the jurors could've thought it was self-defense. So we did think manslaughter was the best resolution to get him serving time immediately," District Attorney Bilbo Mitchell says.

Sumrall will serve 20 years behind bars, 5 of those suspended. Sumrall will then serve 5 years of probation once he’s released.