GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Editor's note: The video in this story is from a previous report in 2021.
A Duluth man has been convicted after a stray bullet hit and killed his neighbor while she was sleeping.
On the night of Sept. 25, 2021, Gwinnett County Police said Carlether Foley, 32, was shot to death inside her McDaniel Road apartment in Duluth. Investigators said her neighbor, Maxwell Williams, shot through a wall while he was cleaning his handgun when it unintentionally fired a shot through his bedroom wall.
Foley's then-17-year-old son found his mom responsive in her bed hours later.
During Maxwell's trial, the DA's Office said the jury heard testimony that Williamson placed a note on Foley’s apartment door before leaving the complex. He did not report the incident to police and Foley's son returned to find his mother dead and called emergency responders.
On Tuesday, the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office said Williamson, 25, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct in Foley's death.
He was sentenced to eight months to serve in jail, followed by one year and four months of probation.
“This defendant’s reckless actions left a teenaged son without his mother and the teen’s grandmother without her only daughter,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “It is vitally important that gun owners handle and store weapons responsibly. There must be accountability when gun owners are irresponsible and innocent victims are harmed.”