A suspected gang member was sentenced to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including murder, related to the killing of a 19-year-old girl in Coweta County in 2018, officials said.
Denarvious Kizavion Carter, 22, of Manchester, agreed to a negotiated plea deal ahead of his Nov. 14 trial, Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney Herb Cranford said in a news release Tuesday.
Carter pleaded guilty to one count of felony murder, six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and four counts of violating Georgia’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Action. As part of the plea deal, Cranford said Carter will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least 30 years in prison.
Carter admitted to firing at least 10 shots at a Newnan home Dec. 30, 2018, one of which hit and killed Aubria Foster, Cranford said. Five other people were inside the house at the time, but no one else was injured.
Within the past week, two other men also pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to Foster’s killing, Cranford said. As part of their plea deals, each agreed to testify against Carter in exchange for more lenient sentences.
According to Cranford, the events that led to Foster’s shooting began in June 2018, more than six months before Carter opened fire on the 19-year-old’s house.
Carter, who Cranford said is a member of the Gangster Killer Bloods or G-Shine Bloods street gang, went with an alleged higher-ranking gang member to purchase a gun. The purchase fell through, prompting a dispute between Carter’s group and the suspected gun sellers.
The dispute then moved to a different location and escalated to the point that Carter fired multiple shots at the other group, Cranford said. That evening, a house belonging to the mother of the alleged higher-ranking gang member was shot multiple times, though no one was injured.
On Dec. 30, 2018, Carter set out to retaliate in an attempt to enhance his reputation in the gang, Cranford said. Without receiving approval or permission from his suspected gang superiors, he went to Newnan to perform the fatal drive-by shooting, Cranford said.
Carter was accompanied by Malindzo Hatcher, who was not affiliated with the gang, according to Cranford. The two went to the home of another suspected G-Shine Bloods member named Eric Snelling. Cranford said Carter had sent multiple Facebook messages to other alleged gang members, including Snelling, about borrowing a gun to shoot up the Newnan house.
Credit: Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office
Credit: Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office
Snelling, whose home was one street over from the house where Foster was killed, drove to the scene at Carter’s direction, according to Cranford. When they arrived, Carter fired a barrage of shots at the home before Snelling drove away.
As part of his deal, Snelling pleaded guilty to six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, four gun counts and two counts of violating the state’s gang act. He was given a 40-year sentence with 15 to be served in prison, Cranford said.
Hatcher pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count each of tampering with evidence and hindering the apprehension of a criminal. He received a 20-year sentence with 10 to be served in prison.
According to Cranford, Foster was a high school graduate who was taking college classes and was actively involved in her church. Cranford said the defendant and victim “present opposing examples in life choices and mentality, and yet each of their lives have been ruined by Carter’s choice to act violently in an effort to increase his status in his criminal street gang.”
“It is telling and illustrative of the realities of criminal gang association that no one attended Carter’s guilty plea on November 7, 2022, on his behalf, while over 20 members of Bria’s family attended to see him be held accountable,” Cranford added.
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