On a dark November evening in DeKalb County, 17-year-old Jayne Salazar-Chavez and her boyfriend were surprised when the inside of their vehicle was illuminated by a red laser. Moments later, confusion turned to fear as they realized what was behind the sudden burst of light.
A man dressed in all black, carrying a handgun, was getting closer to them. Then, nearly two dozen gunshots rang out, piercing the car, Salazar-Chavez and her 23-year-old boyfriend as he attempted to drive away. The girl, a junior at Towers High School, was killed.
On Monday, Nakia Dorsey, 24, of Decatur, was convicted of murder and other charges in the Nov. 10, 2022, shooting and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Prosecutors said Dorsey targeted the couple amid a love triangle dispute.
“Dorsey knew (the boyfriend) and Salazar-Chavez were in the car,” DeKalb District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Claire Chaffins told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
According to the DA’s office, Salazar-Chavez’s boyfriend surprised her by returning from the Army hours before the shooting. He arrived at her home near Glenwood Road ahead of Veteran’s Day weekend excited to see her, but noticed she was withdrawn upon entering his car.
He questioned if she was seeing someone else and took her phone, which revealed a “suggestive text” from an unknown number, prosecutors said. He called, but the person on the other end hung up without saying anything. Salazar-Chavez’s phone then rang, and he answered.
“The caller, later identified as defendant Dorsey, argued with (him) about which of them was Salazar-Chavez’s boyfriend,” the DA’s office said. “Dorsey demanded that Salazar-Chavez return his belongings to him.”
When the couple returned home around 11 p.m., Dorsey approached with the laser-sighted handgun and opened fire, according to prosecutors. The teenager was shot in the arm and torso, as 20 bullets struck the body of the car. Her boyfriend called 911 upon arriving at a nearby gas station on Glenwood Road.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Days later, an anonymous tip led investigators at an apartment complex along Mt. Zion Road in Morrow, where Dorsey was arrested, according to the DeKalb sheriff’s office. Social media messages indicated he had been in contact with Salazar-Chavez and cellphone location data pinpointed him at the home prior to the shooting, prosecutors said.
A jury found Dorsey guilty on charges of felony murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and two counts of aggravated assault. DeKalb Superior Court Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson sentenced him to life plus an additional 25 years.
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