A Texas man is facing life in prison in connection with a 20-year-old DeKalb county murder case, DeKalb District Attorney spokeswoman Megan L. Matteucci said.

Juan Cortez Mondragon, 44, was accused of shooting two men and killing one on Aug. 8, 1996, at an apartment off Shallowford Road outside Atlanta.

Carolos Perez, 29, was struck three times and died from his wounds.

Mondragon then fled to Texas and changed his name. In 2014, he was arrested for driving while intoxicated. After being fingerprinted, police discovered Mondragon was wanted on murder charges in DeKalb County.

The surviving victim and another man, who drove Mondragon to the scene of the shooting, both testified in the trial, Matteucci said in a statement.

On Thursday, a jury found Mondragon guilty of malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault in the shooting.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday morning.

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Students at Carver Early College School of Technology attend the school’s art class on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. Atlanta Public Schools plans to convert the campus to a school of the arts that will serve grades 6-12. The plan depends on voters extending a one-cent sales tax for education. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

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