Life in Prison for Woman Convicted in 2013 Murder: Report

Image: Diara Hood (Gwinnett County Police Department)

A local woman received a life sentence without parole Friday for her involvement in the 2013 murder of a Marietta man at a Norcross-area apartment complex, according to a media report.

Diara Hood, 24, will serve the time following her conviction by a Gwinnett County jury on two counts apiece of felony murder, armed robbery and aggravated assault, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

On July 29, 2013, according to prosecutors, Hood lured two men to the Celadon apartment complex with promises of sex and drugs. At about 7 a.m., the two men - Stephen Carden, 28, of Marietta, and Thomas Smith, 28, of Powder Springs - were attacked while walking through the complex, according to police reports.

The two were approached in a parking lot by Jovian Lanus, 26 at the time of the incident, and Tyler Estrada, who was 18. Lanus shot Carden in the head, and Smith was knocked unconscious, police said, according to AJC.com.

Carden’s body was found by police on the ground outside an apartment building, and Smith was struck with a blunt object and taken to a hospital. Lanus and Estrada were arrested and charged with murder and ared robbery.

Prosecutors said Hood led the two victims to Lanus ans Estrada, and removed the victims’ wallets and cellphones before police and paramedics arrived at the scene. She later admitted to her involvement in the robbery and murder, the prosecutors said.