A Gwinnett County man who shot two people, killing one, in 2021 in retaliation for a recent robbery was convicted Monday and sentenced to life in prison without parole, authorities said.
Makilyn Chavon Manzie, 21, of Loganville, was convicted of malice murder and several other counts, Gwinnett District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a news release. Manzie’s trial concluded Friday afternoon and the jury returned its verdict Monday after about four total hours of deliberation, according to the DA.
Manzie was convicted of killing 20-year-old Devond Holmes in a drive-by shooting that injured a second man, Demontries Rule, on March 13, 2021, Austin-Gatson said. Manzie was 17 at the time and Rule was 16.
According to Austin-Gatson, Holmes and Rule were asleep in a car outside Rule’s home on Foxberry Run in Loganville on the morning of the shooting. Rule was awakened by gunfire and found himself with a gunshot wound to the arm and Holmes dead in the front seat, the DA said.
During the trial, Austin-Gatson said a witness testified that the bullets came from a black sedan at about 6:30 a.m. Doorbell camera footage from a nearby home was played in court and showed a black car drive past before recording the sound of gunfire a moment later.
Witnesses identified the car as a black Chrysler 300 with temporary tags, Austin-Gatson said. Manzie had owned it for about four months at the time of the shooting, the DA said.
Credit: Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office
Credit: Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office
Prosecutors showed evidence in court that Manzie drove to Rule’s neighborhood, just over a mile from his own, several times, according to Austin-Gatson. Minutes after the shooting, Manzie texted his girlfriend to report the AK-47 fired in the incident as stolen.
Investigators ultimately identified Manzie’s car and pulled him over because of his out-of-date temporary tag, Austin-Gatson said. The AK-47 was still inside along with armor-piercing ammunition that matched the kind used to kill Holmes.
After Manzie was arrested, he told investigators Holmes had robbed him but denied shooting the two victims, the DA said. The investigation also uncovered text messages between the two that indicated a conflict, including a final message from Manzie that called Holmes “Brutus.”
Despite Manzie’s denial of the killing, a Gwinnett jury convicted him of malice murder, felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault and a gun charge. His full sentence includes life in prison without parole plus 25 years.
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