More than two years after a man was found shot to death outside a car in Marietta, a Cobb County jury has found the gunman guilty of murder and other charges.
Jurors deliberated for less than two hours late Tuesday before convicting Dwight Blalock of malice murder and three counts of felony murder in the death of Carlos Wright, according to the office of Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds.
Blalock, 35, was also convicted of two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of possession of a firearm during commission of a felony and one count of violating the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.
Sentencing is set for July 6. He faces a mandatory life sentence, officials said.
According to the district attorney’s office, evidence showed Wright and another man drove to a duplex on Bellemeade Way to buy drugs on Nov. 13, 2014.
Several shots were fired after Wright handed money through the driver’s side window, said Kim Isaza, the spokeswoman for Reynolds. Wright, 32, of Marietta, was hit and left on the pavement outside the car. His passenger fled but was not hit.
Police found shell casings from two weapons at the scene, and the victims’ vehicle had bullet holes on both sides, indicating there were two shooters, Isaza said.
Two years passed without an arrest. Marietta police continued investigating and arrested Blalock in December 2016 in his home state of Alabama.
Authorities are still working to identify the person who may have conspired with Blalock.
During the trial, prosecutors called 21 witnesses and introduced more than 400 pieces of evidence linking Blalock to the killing.
That evidence included cellphone analysis, forensic DNA analysis of saliva found at the scene and a gang investigator’s testimony that Blalock is associated with the Bloods gang.
Authorities also found Wright’s injuries were from a 7 mm bullet. Some of the casings found at the shooting scene were also from a 7mm handgun witnesses said they had seen Blalock with, Isaza said.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Jesse Evans, who prosecuted the case, said even with the possibility of a conspirator, evidence shows Blalock fired the deadly shots.
“He shot a man in cold blood and left him dying in the street,” Evans said. “Regardless of what brought Mr. Wright to that location that night, he was a human being who did not deserve this.”
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