Man gets life for fatal Suwanee gun-sale robbery
Jermaine Dondi. Photo courtesy of Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - A Lawrenceville man will spend life in prison for killing a person during a planned robbery involving a handgun advertised on social media.
What we know:
A Gwinnett County jury found Jermaine Dondi Rimson guilty of felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault and attempted robbery in the July 19, 2022, death of Abel Castellanos.
Rimson, now 21, was 17 when the shooting happened. A judge sentenced him to life in prison plus 20 years.
ORIGINAL STORY: Police: 2 teens arrested, 1 on the run for murder of Suwanee 16-year-old
Robbery arranged through social media
Prosecutors said Castellanos posted online that he wanted to sell a .380-caliber handgun. Miguel Gabriel Flores responded and arranged to meet Castellanos at a Suwanee apartment complex, but authorities said Flores intended to steal the gun.
Flores brought Rimson and Joshua Poteat into the plan, according to the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office. Poteat allegedly drove the group to the meeting.
When Castellanos showed the handgun to Flores, prosecutors said Rimson got out of the vehicle and shot Castellanos once in the chest. Rimson then took another handgun before the group fled.
A woman who was riding in the SUV testified that she had accompanied Poteat on a date and did not know about the robbery plan. Jurors also reviewed text messages that prosecutors said showed Flores planning the crime.
Second life sentence in the case
Flores was convicted in September 2025 of three counts of felony murder, theft, aggravated assault and attempted robbery. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Poteat is awaiting trial. The charges against him are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The district attorney’s release identified Castellanos as 21. Suwanee police described him as 16 in information released shortly after the 2022 shooting.