If you ask the jury, the murder didn’t need a motive.

Jacob Pyne, 24, was convicted Friday of killing Gerard Foster, 52, a deacon at Living Water Christian Baptist Church, in the city of Decatur last year. The investigation found no reason for Pyne to shoot the man, according to the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office.

Detectives believe Pyne, who was caught on video, “simply lashed out” at Foster as he passed him on the steps at Foster’s Robins Street apartment complex.

Foster, a father of seven, was found shot in the head, neck and chest on July 6. He was rushed to the hospital but died a short time later.

“Neighbors reported hearing gunshots and seeing the getaway car speed away from the scene,” DA’s spokeswoman Yvette Jones said in a news release Monday. “Defendant Pyne was captured on surveillance video fleeing the area with a female accomplice.”

Pyne is scheduled to be sentenced on July 26 by Judge Mark Anthony Scott. Co-defendant Christonya Section will be tried later.

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In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com