LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — A Covington man was convicted of murder in the death of a Sandy Springs man.
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A Gwinnett County jury found 23-year-old Mark Antonio White guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the death of Garcia Danielle Gaddis, 39.
The last time Garcia was seen alive was when he left his home on the night of Oct. 21, 2021.
Gwinnett County police say they approached a suspicious Dodge Ram 1500 truck parked at the intersection of Tech Center Parkway and Pierce Brennen Drive. Officers then found Garcia lying in the backseat of the truck with a single gunshot wound to his head.
His cell phone, wallet and car keys were stolen.
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On the night he was last seen, investigators learned Gaddis had been contacted on the Tagged dating app by a user who was later identified as White.
During their online exchange, Gaddis agreed to meet White near the Little Suwanee Pointe neighborhood, according to officials. When he was near, White told Gaddis to pick him up near the pool area.
Authorities said surveillance video showed Gaddis’ truck drive through the neighborhood shortly after 11 p.m., and showed him stop to pick up White from the parking lot of the pool clubhouse.
Minutes after the truck was seen driving toward the front of the neighborhood at Tech Center Parkway, White was seen walking from the entrance back to the pool clubhouse, according to Gwinnett County officials.
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Police said they found a shell casing in the cab of Gaddis’ truck that matched three shell casings from a gun fired during a July 19, 2021, incident in which White was accused of shooting at his ex-girlfriend and her mother. The mother collected the shell casings and kept them until she was contacted by police during the investigation of Gaddis’ murder.
Police body camera video from an eviction from a townhome across from the pool several weeks later showed a man inside the unit who was dressed similarly to the person captured on video the night Gaddis was killed.
An arrest warrant for Gaddis was issued and he was arrested in June 2022.
On Monday, White was sentenced to life in prison plus five years without the possibility of parole.
“We pray that this verdict and the justice it serves provides some solace to this victim’s family and loved ones,” said Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson. “The defendant took advantage of Mr. Gaddis and justice has been served.”