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Attorney dismissed for teen charged in "sneaker" murder

A Gwinnett County teenager charged in the murder of a fellow Grayson High School student was hoping to request bond Tuesday, but instead found himself looking for a new attorney.

Larnell Sillah, 16, is charged with killing 14-year-old Paul Sampleton while two other teens face armed robbery charges in connection with the case.

Gwinnett Police believe the three were after Sampleton's high end sneakers that he often sold online.

Judge Debra Turner dismissed Sillah's attorney, Tom West, Tuesday after it came it light that he has previously represented another potential witness in the case on drug charges.  Turner found there to be a conflict of interest that could have negative implications for Sillah.

While a new attorney will be appointed to the teen, his mother Natalee Hardie complains it's just another injustice for her son whose innocence she maintains.

"It's just unfair and the system is just messed up," she tells WSB's Sandra Parrish.

Before West was dismissed, Detective Andrew Waley testified during a motions hearing that the fingerprints of Sillah and one of the other teens, Romaine Stewart, were found at a burglary scene just two months prior where a dozen guns were stolen.

Among those is a .45 caliber handgun that police believe could have been used in the murder of Sampleton.

The district attorney's office confirms burglary charges are pending against the two in that case.

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