On Dec. 12, 2020, Malachi Matthew Perkins took $8 from teenagers and was supposed to provide a bag of marijuana, according to Gwinnett County investigators.
When he was later confronted, Perkins didn’t provide the drugs. Instead, he fired gunshots into a car, killing 16-year-old Davone Burnett, investigators determined.
This week, Perkins, 23, was convicted of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felon, the Gwinnett district attorney’s office said. He was sentenced to life in prison, plus five years without the possibility of parole.
“This murder cut a young life short, and it was unconscionable,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in an emailed statement. “The defendant fired a gun recklessly into a car full of people and killed Burnett for $8. Nothing can bring back the young man who was killed, but we hope this outcome brings the victim’s family and loved ones healing and justice.”
Credit: Lawrenceville Police Department
Credit: Lawrenceville Police Department
The night of the shooting, Burnett had gone with a friend to the Hillcrest Greens Apartments in Lawrenceville. There they met Perkins and gave him $8 for a “dime bag” of marijuana, the DA’s office said.
Forty minutes passed, but Perkins didn’t return with the drugs, according to investigators.
When Perkins was later seen returning, he was confronted and began firing shots, the DA’s office said. Burnett was in the backseat of a car when he was struck.
After being shot, Burnett was taken to Northside Gwinnett Hospital, where he died from his injuries, Lawrenceville police said previously. Four days after the shooting, Perkins was arrested, according to police.
At his trial, Perkins claimed self-defense, the DA’s office said.
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