A DeKalb County man is headed to prison for the rest of his life after a 2020 killing in Lithonia Park that prosecutors say started with a stranded ride and ended with a carjacking and murder. On Tuesday, 41-year-old Ryan Anson Carter was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus another five years for the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Jamaal Cobb inside the park on August 23, 2020. Authorities said Carter took Cobb’s vehicle afterward and got rid of the victim’s phone.
According to Atlanta News First, the DeKalb County district attorney’s office said Carter and Cobb first crossed paths hours earlier at a gas station at Gresham Road and Interstate 20, after Carter’s girlfriend left him there without a ride. Prosecutors said Cobb agreed to drive Carter to Lithonia Park, near the girlfriend’s apartment. Once there, according to the DA’s account, Carter shot Cobb, stole his car and discarded his phone. The DA’s office publicly announced the sentence on April 28, 2026.
How Prosecutors Say It Unfolded
When Carter was arrested in September 2020, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said he shot Cobb at a Park Drive residence, then took Cobb’s cash and vehicle. That version of events was reported at the time by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and FOX 5 Atlanta. Those outlets reported that in 2020 Carter was charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and theft by taking.
Charges and Legal Context
The lengthy sentence slots into a broader pattern of homicide prosecutions that the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office has highlighted in recent years, with officials frequently emphasizing life terms in deadly shooting cases. Coverage of other recent DeKalb sentencing announcements reflects that focus on stiff penalties in serious violent-crime prosecutions, according to reporting by Patch.
Court Record and Case History
DeKalb Superior Court calendars show Carter’s case moving through the court’s docket this year as it inched toward resolution, a multi-year progression from the 2020 killing to the April 2026 sentencing. Public court schedules list felony murder cases like Carter’s on shared dockets. Officials with the district attorney’s office supplied the sentencing details to reporters, and news accounts noted there was no immediate public statement from Carter’s defense. DeKalb Superior Court calendars show related case activity earlier this year.
