A DeKalb church deacon was murdered for no apparent reason

Jacob Pyne, left, is one of two suspects accused of killing church deacon Gerald Foster, a father of seven, in the city of Decatur.

Jacob Pyne, left, is one of two suspects accused of killing church deacon Gerald Foster, a father of seven, in the city of Decatur.

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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