DeKalb County jury convicts man of killing stranger who gave him ride

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Deputies arrested Ryan Carter and charged him with the Lithonia murder. (Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office)

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A jury found a 41-year-old man guilty Friday of murdering a stranger who tried to help him after an argument with his girlfriend left him stranded at a gas station.

What we know:

DeKalb County officers found Jamaal Cobb, 29, shot to death on a basketball court at Lithonia Park on August 23, 2020. Investigators say Cobb met Ryan Anson Carter hours earlier at a Texaco gas station on Gresham Road. Carter had been left there by his girlfriend after an argument, and Cobb agreed to give him a ride.

According to phone records, Carter used the victim's phone to call his girlfriend before the two traveled to the park. Just after 7 a.m., Carter shot Cobb, stole his maroon 2004 GMC Yukon, and drove to Lilburn where he threw away the victim’s phone. Later that day, EMS found Carter with the stolen SUV on I-85 and took him to the hospital.

What we don't know:

It is unclear what happened in the moments immediately leading up to the shooting.

The backstory:

Police arrested Carter after finding a gun hidden in a duffle bag inside the towed SUV. Ballistics confirmed the weapon matched shell casings found near a soccer field at the park. Although Carter admitted to being at the gas station, he denied being at the park or having any involvement in the killing. On Friday, a jury found him guilty of malice murder, armed robbery, and several other charges.