A Gwinnett County jury has convicted Neil Patrick Frasdilla of murder, following a calculated attack outside a Duluth Red Lobster that culminated nearly a year-long vendetta. Frasdilla, 27, faced charges including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to a report by FOX 5 Atlanta. The victim, 46-year-old Darius Dugger, was shot in his vehicle with his fiancé and 4-year-old child present on September 13, 2023.
The conflict between the two men began in 2022, when Frasdilla's then-girlfriend reported to Dugger and his fiancé that Frasdilla was abusing her. Dugger later approached Frasdilla to tell him to leave the woman's home, which escalated to Frasdilla pulling a gun. A neighbor had to pry the firearm from Frasdilla's grasp after a physical altercation ensued. Despite an apparent resolution following the incident, investigators stated that Frasdilla had quietly, yet deliberately planned to commit the heinous act over the next year. "We are happy to see justice served in this case," said Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson, "This was a calculated, premeditated murder. It is unconscionable to imagine someone lying in wait for nearly a year to kill a person they argued with," she added in a statement obtained by Atlanta News First.
On the day of the murder, Frasdilla reportedly rented a gray Tesla and tailed Dugger and his family to the seafood restaurant. Witnesses were able to provide the Tesla's license plate number to authorities after Frasdilla fatally shot Dugger while he was parking. Law enforcement found Frasdilla within an hour, thanks to surveillance cameras and the rental car's GPS system. They also recovered a video from the vehicle's built-in camera showing Frasdilla holding the murder weapon.
Further investigation led to the discovery of the handgun in a wooded area, which was matched to the bullet that killed Dugger by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The damning evidence pieced together by detectives underscores a chilling tale of revenge. Austin-Gatson remarked on the gravity of the crime and the calculated manner in which Frasdilla hunted down his victim. Frasdilla is set to learn his sentence on May 28, with the clear expectation that justice will indeed be delivered to a community shaken by this act of malice.
