3 men accused of killing 19-year-old in ambush at Gwinnett intersection
Three men are accused of ambushing another man and killing him while he waited for a ride near a bank at a busy Gwinnett County intersection in April, court documents reveal.
Stevens Estime, 27, Malachi Stevenson, 26, and Hernandez Jean Charles, 27, all face malice and felony murder charges in connection with the shooting death of 19-year-old Xavier Tyler Stephens on April 3.
According to warrants obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Stephens was waiting for a ride near the intersection of Shackleford Road and Steve Reynolds Boulevard around 1 a.m. when he was gunned down.
During a preliminary hearing Wednesday, prosecutors said the victim was shot 14 times and was heard pleading for his life by a witness who was on the phone with the suspects, Channel 2 Action News reported.
“Steve, stop, stop. Stop shooting me, Steve,” Gwinnett police Detective Rodrigo Araya testified. Stephens was referring to Estime, who detectives said was described by witnesses as the victim’s best friend, according to Channel 2.
Investigators described a falling out between the two over allegedly stolen money, the news station reported.
The men are accused of “driving out to the victim’s location and ambushing him while the victim waited for a ride and shooting him multiple times.”
According to Araya, the men then celebrated at a house in DeKalb County, Channel 2 reported. Araya described the celebration as the men “partying, drinking, saying ‘We got that boy.’”
In addition to the murder charges, all three suspects face an aggravated assault charge and illegal possession of firearms. Estime is also charged with theft by taking. They are being held in the Gwinnett jail without bond.
