A Gwinnett County judge on Monday agreed to hit pause on a potential retrial hearing for David Jarrad Booker, one of three men convicted in the 2022 killing of former coach Bradley Coleman, pushing the case deep into 2026.
Superior Court Judge Tamela Adkins granted Booker’s request during a hearing this week and reset the matter for Oct. 1, 2026, according to court records, a move first reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. The station reports that filings show the hearing was moved to that date, and that it remains unclear what specific grounds Booker is citing in his push for a new trial.
Booker was convicted in January 2025 alongside Josiah Hughley and Miles Collins. Prosecutors told jurors in that retrial that Hughley fired the shot that killed Coleman while Booker provided armed backup and Collins drove the getaway car. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that all three men were found guilty and later sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
The killing happened just after noon on July 10, 2022, at a QuikTrip on Peachtree Parkway while Coleman, a former Gwinnett coach visiting family from New Orleans, had stopped to use an air pump. Earlier trial testimony detailed cell-phone location data and forensic evidence tying the defendants to the scene, according to WSB-TV.
What a retrial hearing can involve
In Georgia, a motion for a new trial can argue that a verdict is against the weight of the evidence or raise more specific claims, such as newly discovered evidence or procedural error. O.C.G.A. §§ 5-5-20 and 5-5-21 lay out those general grounds and give the trial judge broad discretion to decide whether any mistakes or new facts justify a do-over, according to Georgia law. FOX 5 Atlanta reports that it is still unknown which of those legal theories Booker is leaning on.
What to watch next
Before the Oct. 1, 2026 hearing, defense attorneys and prosecutors are expected to trade written arguments and exhibits. Judge Adkins could hold a short hearing to take testimony or decide the motion based solely on the filings, then either deny Booker’s request or set a schedule for further proceedings.
If she grants a new trial, Booker’s case would return to the active court docket and could be tried again before a new jury. If the motion is denied, his conviction and life sentence would stand as is. Hoodline previously covered the January 2025 endgame of the case in Gwinnett County during retrial closing arguments.
