Three men were sentenced to life in prison Thursday for the 2019 murder of a Hall County sheriff’s deputy, including the man who pulled the trigger and will not have the possibility of parole.
Hector Garcia-Solis, Eric Velazquez and London Clements each received life sentences after being found guilty of murdering 28-year-old Nicolas Blane Dixon, Channel 2 Action News reported. All three men, now 19, were 17 when Dixon was murdered.
The sentencing hearing included tearful testimony from Dixon’s family, the defendants’ families and the defendants themselves. Dixon’s family members requested life in prison for the three men, while the shooter, Garcia-Solis, asked for forgiveness, Channel 2 reported.
They were part of a foursome in a stolen car that led Hall deputies on a chase in July 2019, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. They crashed the car and fled, and deputies continued the pursuit on foot.
Garcia-Solis and Dixon then exchanged gunfire, and both were wounded. Garcia-Solis was taken to the hospital and recovered from his wounds, but Dixon was hit in the stomach just below his ballistic vest, the AJC reported.
A fourth 17-year-old who was arrested with the group, Brayan Omar Cruz, is also facing murder charges but will be tried later after agreeing to testify against Garcia-Solis, Velazquez and Clements, Channel 2 reported. The details of his deal with prosecutors were not made public.
Garcia-Solis was emotional during his testimony, admitting he shot and killed Dixon while also asking for forgiveness from the deputy’s family. Dixon’s family requested the maximum sentences.
“They need to be kept in jail for the rest of their lives,” Jada Smith, the deputy’s mother, said from the witness stand.
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