A Lithonia man will spend his life behind bars with no chance of parole, a DeKalb County judge ruled on Tuesday, after a jury held him responsible for a deadly shooting at a Stone Mountain gas station last year. Nathan Weeks, 27, was convicted of charges, including Malice Murder and Felony Murder, in the shooting death of 54-year-old Isaac Godbolt on June 20, 2023. Senior Judge Winston Bethel of the DeKalb County Superior Court handed down the life sentence to Weeks.
Surveillance video helped to piece together the tragic June incident. According to reports, Weeks was seen meeting with others by a car at the gas station. The situation turned deadly after Godbolt drove up and engaged in conversation with the group, before Weeks approached him and suddenly opened fire. Despite efforts to get away, Godbolt was fatally shot and later died from his wounds at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Law enforcement acted swiftly, with the DeKalb County Police Department responding to the reported shooting. They found the victim inside his car with multiple gunshot injuries. In an effort to ensure justice, the case was aggressively prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Homicide and Gangs Unit. Senior Assistant District Attorneys Kara Roberts and Andrew Turner led the charge, supported by Investigator J.B. Williams and Victim Advocate Kaysha Albritton.
In a compelling turn during the investigation, Weeks was arrested in Columbus, GA, with a firearm matching the ballistic evidence from the crime scene. The case hinged on a recorded confession Weeks made to his mother, where he admitted to perpetrating the murder. The recording proved integral in cementing his guilt amid the trial proceedings.
The meticulous efforts of DeKalb County Police Department Det. Smith, who was at the forefront of the initial investigation into Godbolt’s death, were crucial in the breakthrough of the case. The prosecutors and law enforcement personnel worked together seamlessly to ensure a verdict that brings some measure of closure to a senseless act of violence that shook the Stone Mountain community. Additional details about the case can be found on the DeKalb District Attorney’s website.
