Guilty Verdict in Shooting of Primatologist

The verdict Thursday afternoon in a Cobb County courtroom was guilty for one of two men accused of shooting and paralyzing a primatologist nearly four years ago. The other defendant pled guilty on Monday prior to jury selection.

According to court officials, Elliott Mitchell was found guilty of armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated assault, theft by taking and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime

Three days earlier, Kendall Markell Bolden offered a guilty plea on charges of armed robbery, kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault, theft by taking and four counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

Mitchell and Bolden were accused of shooting and paralyzing Shelly Williams in the back on Nov. 7, 2005, as she visited a tailor shop in a suburban Atlanta strip mall.

Williams headed a preliminary study, "Mystery Apes of the Congo," had just been published and was hailed as a potentially monumental discovery. She said National Geographic had contacted her about a special on her work when she was shot.