Brian Sanchez Duarte, 32, of Gwinnett County, has been sentenced to life without parole after being convicted in a 2022 murder case. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the jury deliberated for about two hours before convicting him of malice murder in the death of Alinton Joel Rivera-Zuniga on November 27, 2022.
The incident occurred in Norcross after Rivera-Zuniga and Jose Caraballo-Mendez interacted with Duarte at the Alta Gama event hall. Rivera-Zuniga and Caraballo-Mendez offered Duarte a ride. During the trial, Caraballo-Mendez testified that Duarte became paranoid, believing Rivera-Zuniga had a gun, and forced him to remove his clothing to show he was unarmed. Duarte then reportedly exited the vehicle, went to the back seat, and shot Rivera-Zuniga, resulting in his death.
Additional evidence presented at trial included surveillance footage showing the car stopping on a road before Duarte exited and shot Rivera-Zuniga. Duarte then returned to the vehicle, which drove away, leaving the victim behind. Duarte was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, with an additional five years added.
District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson described the case as a senseless death and noted that the outcome may serve as a deterrent to similar crimes. The prosecution team included Assistant District Attorney Ramika Gourdine-Palmer and Managing Assistant District Attorney Drew Unger. Investigators Matt Cleland and Christian Robertson, Detective J.R. Jorstad, and the Gwinnett County Police Department were also involved in the case, as per WSB-TV.
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