Verdict Reached For Man Accused In Fatal Gwinnett Shooting

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A jury on Friday found the man accused of shooting and killing another man during a gun deal guilty of murder and other charges, Gwinnett County prosecutors said.

It took the jury less than 3 hours to return the guilty verdict against Righteous Love Williams, 23, of Jonesboro, in connection with the September 2023 fatal shooting of Michael Paul Maddox II, 19, of Lawrenceville, the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office said.

Gwinnett County Police previously said Maddox was shot around 8 p.m., Sept. 17, at Kentshire Place.

Williams was arrested two days later in Clayton County and later booked into the Gwinnett County Jail, police said.

Prosecutors say Williams claimed the shooting was accidental. At the time, he was meeting with Maddox to exchange pistols in a neighborhood cul-de-sac in Lawrenceville, prosecutors said.

Maddox planned to trade his AR pistol for Williams' Glock handgun with a switch, which prosecutors said made the handgun automatic.

RELATED:

• Lawrenceville Shooting Suspect Charged With Murder
• Lawrenceville Man Fatally Shot At Kentshire Place

During the trial, prosecutors said evidence showed Williams intended to steal the pistol from Maddox.

Williams fired at Maddox through an open car window, and Maddox tried to block the shot, prosecutors said.

Three witnesses took him to the hospital, where he later died of his injuries, police said.

The jury convicted Williams of felony murder, armed robbery, reckless conduct and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, prosecutors said. They added he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus five years due to his "violent criminal history."

“We grieve with the family of Mr. Maddox,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a news release. “Our hope is that this outcome gives his loved ones some solace and a sense of justice.”