Metro Atlanta man attempted to rob 17-year-old victim. Now he’s paralyzed, headed to jail for life

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Buford man who attempted to rob a then teenager in 2021 will spend the rest of his life in prison.

On Thursday, a Gwinnett County jury found Jaiden Williams, 20, guilty of two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, criminal attempt to commit a felony and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the July 26, 2021, shooting death of 17-year-old Orbit Pough III.

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Williams, who was 17 in 2021, told Pough that he wanted to buy a THC vape cartridge, but evidence showed Williams did not have any money on him when he met with Pough at the Kroger store parking lot in Grayson.

He did however have a gun on him, according to investigators.

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During the trial, Williams insisted that he and Pough were friends, but according to prosecutors, evidence showed the two were strangers to one another.

Williams told police on the night he shot Pough, he was riding in the car with him on the way to a drug deal. Williams said to investigators he shot Pough when he (Pough) started to look suspicious.

As their investigation progressed, police learned Pough died from a gunshot wound in his side and barrel contact marks from a shooting that occurred at close range.

Pough also had a weapon on him, but did not pull it until after Williams shot him. Pough died, however, he was also able to shoot Williams, striking him in the neck, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

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“The victim’s family suffered a tragic loss,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “The defendant was only 17 years old when he took the victim’s life. This sentence will be a long and hard lesson for him to learn from. But we simply cannot tolerate our young people following such violent paths.”

Williams was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, plus five years on probation.

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