The somber narrative of violence in Stone Mountain continued with the trial for Gerald Jerome Clark, 41, starting on Monday, accused of the brutal killing of 27-year-old Mary Kilpatrick in 2020. Kilpatrick was fatally shot multiple times and her body was hidden in the trunk of a car which was then set ablaze on Fieldgreen Drive. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Clark, picked up by authorities in December 2020, faces charges that include Malice Murder and Arson in the First Degree.

In an unrelated case underscoring the area's unsettling incidents, a Stone Mountain resident, Trillian Haile, was found guilty for the 2020 shooting death of 19-year-old Dontavious Young. Haile, 36, met with a verdict on several charges, among them voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, 11Alive reported. The conviction follows a chilling confession where Haile admitted to shooting Young 13 times, not ceasing even as the teenager lay on the ground, pleading for his life.

The trial of Clark, which initiated with jury selection under DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Asha F. Jackson, remains shrouded in mystery as the connection between the accused and the victim, Kilpatrick, is still unclear.

Haile's sentencing is scheduled for Monday, April 1, at 9:30 a.m., where the outcome could add a somber finality to yet another episode within Stone Mountain's struggle against the tide of gun-related crimes. As reported by 11Alive, Haile asserted that his actions were in self-defense during an attempted armed robbery by Young.