GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The family of a young murder victim is struggling to give him a proper burial.
They gathered in Lawrenceville on Saturday to honor Erasmus Pratt's memory and to raise money.
Pratt, 17, was shot in the face June 9 in Stone Mountain at Terra Creek Apartments on Central Drive after some sort of confrontation. Jerell Curtis, also 17, was arrested in Pratt's death and charged with aggravated assault and murder.
“He was a good boy. He was a good child. I miss my baby," said Erasmus' mother, Julie Pratt.
The mother is struggling to come to grips with the tragedy that has hit her family.
"I just want him to be here right now with me," Julie Pratt said.
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"We were told he was brain dead. He was just lying there. He was in a coma, and there was nothing they could do," said Erasmus' father, Edward Pratt.
Three days later, the teen was dead.
"Whoever did this to me, they put a hole in my heart," Julie Pratt said.
Curtis was caught by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Fugitive Unit at an apartment in Lithonia. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained the warrant for Curtis' arrest.
Curtis told investigators there was a confrontation between the two and that Pratt tried to rob him. Curtis' girlfriend was said to be there but left before the gunfire.
"I hope the law takes its course, and he should be brought to justice," Edward Pratt said.
The victim's family is left to pick up the pieces and lay him to rest. They are trying to raise money by selling T-shirts in his memory so they can give him a proper burial.
"I don't know what happened. Only God knows what happened," Julie Pratt said.
Curtis is being held without bond. Pratt's family told Channel 2 Action News they will be in court every step of the way to seek justice for their son.
If you'd like to donate to the Pratt family, click here.
Cox Media Group
