A man was convicted Thursday of causing a crash on a DeKalb County road in 2016 that led to the death of his passenger, officials said.
Dwayne Edward Weaver, 58, was found guilty of first-degree homicide by vehicle in the death of Forrest Kelly, 61. DeKalb District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Claire Chaffins said Weaver will be sentenced later this month.
On Aug. 12, 2016, Weaver was driving his Nissan Titan truck eastbound on U.S. 78 and began tailgating another driver, Chaffins said. That driver, identified by officials as Kevin Graves, moved into the far right lane and Weaver followed.
Using the shoulder of the highway, Chaffins said Weaver tried to pass Graves’ vehicle, but as they both approached the Silver Hill Road overpass, the shoulder was blocked by the bridge’s supports. Weaver quickly returned to the right lane and hit the back of Graves’ car, according to Chaffins.
Weaver lost control of his truck, traveled across all lanes of the highway twice, and struck another car, a median and a guardrail.
Weaver and Kelly were not wearing their seatbelts and suffered multiple injuries, authorities said. Kelly died at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Graves left the scene after the collision, Chaffins said. He pleaded guilty to failing to report a crash in December 2022 and was sentenced to a year of probation and a $500 fine.
