A DeKalb County jury has convicted 30-year-old J'ana Rawat of malice murder and related charges after prosecutors said she shot and killed her ex-boyfriend, 28-year-old Tyler James Reed, inside a Clarkston apartment while two children were in the room. The shooting happened shortly before 1 a.m. on May 20, 2022, and Rawat now faces a potential life sentence in prison.
According to CBS News, jurors found Rawat guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, family violence, cruelty to children in the third degree and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Prosecutors told the jury that officers recovered a handgun from Rawat's jacket and found Reed lying face-down in the kitchen, where efforts to revive him with CPR did not succeed. DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Asha F. Jackson is expected to set a sentencing hearing within 45 days, prosecutors said.
What Prosecutors Say Happened
Prosecutors, as outlined by FOX 5 Atlanta, said Rawat told investigators she left her three children at the apartment with Reed while she went out with a friend and returned about an hour later. When she came back, she believed the lock had been tampered with and an argument followed. According to prosecutors, Rawat first pointed a kitchen knife at Reed, then went upstairs to get a gun and another child before coming back down and firing twice. Officials said the bullets struck Reed as he sat at the kitchen table with a child present in the room.
Self-Defense Rejected At Trial
Defense attorneys argued Rawat fired in self-defense, but prosecutors countered that the evidence showed Reed did not pose an immediate threat when the shots were fired. The jury sided with the state and returned guilty verdicts on multiple counts, per CBS News. The case was handled by the DeKalb County District Attorney's Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit.
Children, Guns And A Statewide Pattern
The case taps into a broader and grim pattern in Georgia, where firearms are involved in most domestic-violence deaths and children are often nearby when relationships turn deadly. A 2025 fact sheet from the Georgia Commission on Family Violence reports that domestic-violence fatalities have risen in recent years and that roughly four out of five of those deaths involved a firearm, a statistic advocates say highlights the heightened danger when guns are present in volatile homes.
Case History
Rawat was first arrested shortly after the May 2022 shooting. Early coverage identified the scene as the Post Oak apartments off Brockett Road in Clarkston and noted she was initially charged with offenses that included murder and cruelty to children, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Investigators and prosecutors said the Clarkston Police Department led the investigation with assistance from the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office.
What Comes Next
Judge Asha F. Jackson is expected to schedule a sentencing hearing in the coming weeks, where the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office will recommend a punishment, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. The final length and terms of Rawat's sentence will be decided at that hearing, when the judge determines how long she will serve behind bars.
