Shooter Rented Tesla, Followed Victim To Dinner Before Killing Him

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — A man who prosecutors said fatally shot another man after renting a Tesla and following him to a family dinner was found guilty by a Gwinnett County jury this week.

Neil Patrick Frasdilla, 27, was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm in connection with the Sept. 13, 2023, death of 46-year-old Darius Dugger, the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

According to prosecutors, Frasdilla's former girlfriend went to Dugger's home at some point in 2022 to inform him and his fiancee that Frasdilla was abusing her. Dugger confronted Frasdilla the next time he visited his former girlfriend's home and demanded that he leave, prosecutors said.

Frasdilla refused to leave, prosecutors said, and retrieved a gun from his car. After a neighbor took the weapon, Frasdilla and Dugger fought before talking and seemingly resolving the issue.

On Sept. 13, 2023, Frasdilla rented a Tesla and drove it to the neighborhood near Dugger's home. Frasdilla then followed Dugger, Dugger's fiancee and 4-year-old child to a Red Lobster restaurant in Duluth. Once Dugger parked at the restaurant, Frasdilla pulled up next to the driver’s side and fired shots into Dugger’s truck, fatally striking the other man.

Police were able to locate Frasdilla within an hour after witnesses provided the Tesla's license plate number. Area surveillance cameras and the Tesla’s GPS coordinates provided by the car rental company also helped police track him, prosecutors said.

According to authorities, the Tesla's built-in camera also showed him walking to the car with the same handgun used to kill Dugger.

A sentencing hearing will be held on May 28.